Is this feather picked belly or molting? Pics! Still need answers pls

Re: feather picking! I've tried EVERYTHING to get my hens to stop pecking each other and eating the feathers, I applied gallons of "No Pick" lotion, I bought 22 hen aprons, I increased their protein, I added scratch, I doubled the size of their run, I added lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, I fed free choice black oil sunflower seeds, I let them free range on 10 acres of open land.......I even had the vet check them and NOTHING stopped the picking. I was ready to just give them all away, when I decided to give it one last try. I had so much money invested in them at this point, I didn't feel I could just give up. My solution WORKS!!! They still get a good laying feed, scratch, BOSS and they free range, BUT, I added milk crates! Yep, milk crates. It takes me 10 minutes each night to put them up with covers on the crates, but it has WORKED! Their feathers are growing back or in some cases have completely grown back. I got some work shelves from a Thrift store, added milk crates, cut covers for them out of left over sheets of board that I had for my kennel and voila! This winter they may start again when they can no longer free range, but I found that the time they were up on their perches was when they did the most picking as well as first thing in the morning before I turn them out. NOW they can't!! Here are my pics to show that it works!! **My vet told me to destroy the flock and start over, but I'm too stubborn.
Hen before crating started
About one week into crating
Two weeks into crating
One month into crating

Shelves with milk crates *covers not shown THEY WORK!!!
 
I find it interesting that several people have noted that it looks like a broody chicken and that this option seems to be completely ignored.

I'm in the broody camp.
Remember that they start to do this before they sit on eggs as they prepare. If you take away the eggs everyday- there's nothing for them to sit on - and so they're ready to brood but don't have anything to sit on- some chickens seem to need a minimum number of eggs before they begin to sit on them. Additionally, many of you have stated they are young chickens---They could be getting the broody feeling (therefore preparing the brood patch), but just don't quite get it yet.

Being that the bare skin is localized and in the brood patch area, I would conclude that it's not mites and not feather picking (in a negative sense).

Relax.

Sandra

Sandra,
I have several girls that look like this also. If it is from them being broody, is there anything I can do to help the problem? We don't have a roo, so there will be no eggs for them to hatch. :-(
Thanks!
 

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