Hens with bare backs and butts

[marasm57]

I have 15 hens and one guine. I removed the rooster yesterday to see if there is an improvement. I also cleaned the coop and sprinkled a little seven.
There coop is about 8 X 10 two levels. So they have room and they are outside all day in an area about 50 x 15.
I will be watching to see if things improve with the rooster removed.
Open the house up this morning and no feathers in the bottem of coop. I am beginning to believe it was my rooster. Hens don't seem to be picking at each other.

 

[quietheart]

from Tennessee

 

[Chicken Ninja]

from

 

[Jolyn]

Some of my girls look like this too and i don't have a rooster!!!! They have plenty of room inside and out. They are on layer crumble and get snacks almost daily.

They are about 16 weeks old now. When chickens molt where do they lose the feathers? How much will they lose? I have checked them over and over to see if i see any bugs and they all seem clean....when i watch them i do not notice them picking at themselves.

Does anyone have any pictures of chickens that have molted?

Thanks,
Jodie

 

[FLWB039]

I think they might need more room or toys?

 

[marasm57]

What do you give chickens for toys?

 

[Dandelion007]

Are you feeding oyster flakes? It looks like feather picking. The calcium helps.

Or they may be bored. (So they would peck when you aren't there.) You also might try giving your chickens something else to pick on. Try fruit or hang something shiny. I have given my chickens Styrofoam before. (I know it's not the best but they would peck it instead of each other.)

 

[Uncle T's Bantam's]

Hello I have been around chickens all my life of 30 years and this is molting some times they will lose more feathers than that. My dad has 450 chickens and just about all of them are molting right now. The feathers should start returning soon