Help! Is this a rooster?

[DarcDobs]

A couple days ago I noticed that 3 of my hens had bare spots on their backs near their tails. The 4th chicken doesn't have any bare spots. I was talking with a friend and she said that maybe the 4th chicken was a rooster. I it isn't a rooster does anyone know what is causing the spots?

Bare spots in chickens

4th chicken with no bare spots

Any help or suggestions is really appreciated

 

[Sunshine0235]

No that's a hen. Maybe they are picking on eachother, and the one with all the feathers still, is the bully.

 

[junebuggena]

You have a feather picker. Feather picking is usually caused by lack of space, or not enough protein. What are you feeding? How big is their run?

 

[enola]

Sunshine has probably solved your mystery. Try pinless peepers on her

 

[DarcDobs]

I am feeding them ranch way feeds organic pellets, chicken scratch and table scraps. Their run is 4' x 10'. What are pinless peepers? What else could I feed them for more protein? And thanks!

 

[Sunshine0235]

Dried mealworms are a good source of protein, 50% is what my bag of them says. Or a little canned tuna or salmon.

 

[junebuggena]

I am feeding them ranch way feeds organic pellets, chicken scratch and table scraps. Their run is 4' x 10'. What are pinless peepers? What else could I feed them for more protein? And thanks!

Layer feed is about 16% protein. Scratch and scraps are extras and should be fed as 'treats'. Too much and you throw off the balance of nutrients. Stop feeding scratch completely and only give scraps that are protein rich, or switch to a grower type feed to offset any low protein extras.
They may benefit from more space as well. 10 sq ft per bird is generally considered the minimum for light breeds. Bigger birds like Wyandottes need a bit more room.

 

[MeepBeep]

What else could I feed them for more protein?

You could simply switch to a game bird or turkey feed and see if that helps as both offer a significant amount more protein...

Or as a temporary stop gap you can mix in some dry cat food with their existing feed... A 17-20lb bag of dry cat food mixed to 50lbs of feed will give you a decent protein boost...

 

[dekel18042]

Dried mealworms are a good source of protein, 50% is what my bag of them says. Or a little canned tuna or salmon.

X2 or if you have a cat or dog you can toss the chickens a handful or two of cat or dog kibble. I do this when they are molting and they love it.

 

[donrae]

I've heard organic feed often has no animal protein, and this lack seems to lead to feather picking. It's not just the amount they get, the source seems to be important to the birds also. They're omnivores and are designed to eat some sort of animal protein. You might check your feed label and see if this is the case. I agree with feeding the higher protein feed and see if that will help.