Help with feather picking/loss

[MrsWhitneyLou]

Hi everyone!

My family and I are new to raising chickens, and have been stumped as to how to help our chickens stop feather picking. We bought the hens from a family getting rid of them in January this year, and one of the hens had some feather loss at her tail area (the owners said it was molting). The hens were kept by the previous owners in a small coop (4 hens to a coop designed for 2-3 hens), with a “run” under a trampoline. We have since put them in a much larger coop, but they free-range on about an acre of our land that’s fenced-in. The feather loss has gotten worse in the last couple months though.

For background, they’re all about 3 years old, and they have been laying very well. They are two barred Plymouth rocks and two silver-laced Wyandottes. One Plymouth Rock is totally fine, and the other has the worst feather loss. The two Wyandottes have shown some feather loss by their tails in the last month. I have them on a feather-regrowth feed, and give them maybe a cup or two worth of kitchen veggie/fruit scraps every other day or so, some dried mealworm treats or a scrambled egg on the other days. Droppings look pretty normal from what I’ve researched on this forum. The hens don’t like being held, but I can usually grab the Plymouth Rock and it doesn’t look like she has mites or any bugs I can see. I have sprayed her with Blu-Kote (hence the purple, the photos are from before me spraying her again) but it doesn’t seem to help very much.

What am I missing? Do they need vitamin supplementation? Medication? They seem happy overall, but they look awful and I want them to be healthy and happy. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out.
Someone is pecking her. Blue coat is a product to stop pecking.
How many birds do you have in what space please.

 

[MrsWhitneyLou]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out.
Someone is pecking her. Blue coat is a product to stop pecking.
How many birds do you have in what space please.

Hi there, thank you for the reply! We have 4 hens in a large coop, but we let them out to free range on a fenced-in acre of land from basically dawn until dusk. I feel like the feather loss has gotten worse despite them having much more space than they had previously.

 

[LunaBlue]

I had a really bad case of feather picking and rooster rubbing in my flock last year. I applied BluKote liberally every night but it didn't seem to stop the pecking, especially when new feathers were trying to grow in. I ended up purchasing chicken saddles that covered most of their back and removed the rooster from the flock. This allowed the hens to grow their feathers back without them getting eaten.

Here's what I ordered: https://www.etsy.com/listing/968354850/bogo-52-free-reversible-doublesided

 

[MrsWhitneyLou]

I had a really bad case of feather picking and rooster rubbing in my flock last year. I applied BluKote liberally every night but it didn't seem to stop the pecking, especially when new feathers were trying to grow in. I ended up purchasing chicken saddles that covered most of their back and removed the rooster from the flock. This allowed the hens to grow their feathers back without them getting eaten.

Here's what I ordered: https://www.etsy.com/listing/968354850/bogo-52-free-reversible-doublesided

We don’t have a rooster with them, but thank you for that info and the link! We’re hoping to expand our little flock, so I think that info will come in handy down the road. Thank you!

 

[LunaBlue]

Hi there, thank you for the reply! We have 4 hens in a large coop, but we let them out to free range on a fenced-in acre of land from basically dawn until dusk. I feel like the feather loss has gotten worse despite them having much more space than they had previously.

You're welcome! I think they may help with your current problem too. I actually bought them to keep the other hens from picking their fresh feathers after I removed the rooster. It helps keep the new growth out of sight so they aren't tempted to eat the really bloody new growth. Mine wore these for a few months and didn't seem to mind them. They had fully regrown their back feathers by the time I took them off!

 

[J2AKChickens]

You're welcome! I think they may help with your current problem too. I actually bought them to keep the other hens from picking their fresh feathers after I removed the rooster. It helps keep the new growth out of sight so they aren't tempted to eat the really bloody new growth. Mine wore these for a few months and didn't seem to mind them. They had fully regrown their back feathers by the time I took them off!

LunaBlue, just wondering but I am having this same issue and considered saddles, however there is also what appears to be some pecking and feather removal under the vent area as well. Do you have a suggestion for this by chance?

 

[LunaBlue]

LunaBlue, just wondering but I am having this same issue and considered saddles, however there is also what appears to be some pecking and feather removal under the vent area as well. Do you have a suggestion for this by chance?

Hi! I'm sorry to hear about your hens' feather loss. I do occasionally have to use BluKote on my hens where they s have been pecked or have new feathers coming in. This usually helps deter further pecking and allows the feathers to get a little bigger and typically the hen is able to regrow her feathers then. I have never had mine lose feathers on their underside, so I'm not sure what you could do beyond that.