Is this normal feathering?

[OasiVerde]

Are they MOLTiNG?????

They have been like this for a month, that is when I took them from someone else. I don;t know how long before I got them they were like this. At first I thought it was normal, but when I look at chicken pictures online, they all have beautiful feathers on the backs.

 

[OasiVerde]

Methinks someone's eating the ends of the feathers. Not surprising, since the Wyandotte breed is noted for being a bit aggressive. You might want to increase your coop/run space, or get something to distract them. For my purposes, a rooster is a very good distraction, but I have a lot more hens than you do.

Moult would result in losing lots of feathers, but you would see new feathers or pinspikes (except under factory farming conditions)

Mite damage can result in shredded feathers, but it's generally not localised to the back like that.

A rough rooster would have feathers missing from their shoulders, and they would very likely have a bald patch just below the comb.

Some chickens have fragile feathers, but that's usually most common in Lavenders, Frizzles, and Frazzles.

When I observe them, I don;t see any pecking at each other. They are free range in the afternoon for anywhere between 2-4 hours. They have been like this when I got them a month ago, I don;t know if they had mite damage before. At the moment I don;t see any parasites on their skins.
I might want to add a rooster in the spring.

 

[OasiVerde]

I think you either have a dominant hen who is doing mounting behavior, or they are feather picking. Not enough space and boredom are the most common causes.

There is one more dominant hen, but she has the same feathering as the others. Yes, I am working on making enrichment for them. I got these chickens and the coop a month ago, and I was already wondering how they entertain themselves during the day. I let them free range in the afternoons. I would like to build a large run for them, so can be outside all day long. And add interesting features in the run. First I need to start building a predator proof fence.

 

[sylviethecochin]

When I observe them, I don;t see any pecking at each other. They are free range in the afternoon for anywhere between 2-4 hours. They have been like this when I got them a month ago, I don;t know if they had mite damage before. At the moment I don;t see any parasites on their skins.
I might want to add a rooster in the spring.

Where did you get them?

If it hasn't gotten obviously worse, then they likely aren't doing it now; they may have just come from some crowded conditions. Once they moult, the feathering should look normal. That will probably take a while, of course, especially if they're young birds.

 

[OasiVerde]

Where did you get them?

If it hasn't gotten obviously worse, then they likely aren't doing it now; they may have just come from some crowded conditions. Once they moult, the feathering should look normal. That will probably take a while, of course, especially if they're young birds.

We moved into this property about a month ago and the coop with these six chickens was already here. The only thing I know is that the previous owner had more chickens and ducks in the coop. Maybe crowded conditions make sense. How often do chickens moult? Is that where they get all new feathers? I am sorry, newbie chicken owner

 

[OasiVerde]

This is another picture with the chickens. They all look the same.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Adult chickens molt once a year, usually around fall, to prepare for the upcoming winter months. It sounds like your chickens' feathers were definitely from previous overcrowding, or feather-pecking behavior. Best wishes! They will soon sport nice new feathers.....it just takes time!

 

[OasiVerde]

Adult chickens molt once a year, usually around fall, to prepare for the upcoming winter months. It sounds like your chickens' feathers were definitely from previous overcrowding, or feather-pecking behavior. Best wishes! They will soon sport nice new feathers.....it just takes time!

Thank you so much, this makes me feel like a good chicken mamma I am happy I am able to give them lots of space in the coop and eventually in a run as well. In the fall I will post an update on how they are doing. I am hoping to be able to post pictures of chickens with beautiful feathering.

 

[coach723]

When you start seeing a lot of feathers laying around the coop, molt has probably begun. When that happens look for new pin feathers coming in. Depending on how hard or soft they molt they may look relatively normal, or may have large bald spots during the process. Since you are a new chicken parent here is some good info on lice/mites with pictures, so if you ever need to, you will know what to look for:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/