Is my hen going into molt ???

[gottalovemychickens]

I have 1 of my hens that is 8 months old and lost all her feathers on her chest. They are just really small feathers but i can see her bare skin. None of my other chickens that are the same age have feathers missing .

Could she be molting ?

Being picked on ?

Not getting something her body need ?

What could cause her feathers just to boom and vanish ???

Ill try and get a picture up

 

[SeramaLife]

8 months is too young for a molt. They will normally go into their first molt in their second year.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

so maybe going broody ??

or mites ??

 

[Imp]

Feather loss link.

Hopefully it may help

Imp


http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/mf2308.pdf

 

[chookchick]

Good info on that link, but my comp. is slow pulling it up!

If it is just on her chest, in a roundish pattern, that sounds like she had a broody spell and pulled feathers out to keep the eggs warm. Check her over carefully for bugs and other missing feathers. Some of my younger ones are "mini-molting" but it is barely noticeable.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

yeah its a round pattern on her chest and would not leave the nest . When i know they lay ill go under the chicken and take the egg and they most the time come out right away but this one just sits there and does not come out