Little hen has never had feathers here

[farmkat55]

I've had my 6 hens and 1 rooster since they were like 2 days old. This little girl has always had her back look like this as she grew her feathers in. It's always been kind of bare and she is the only one who has that super upright tail...so I was thinking the way her tail goes up like that maybe it doesn't let the feathers come in laying down! There is no pecking or any sores or anything. Just bare like that. But, I noticed when she has been out in the daylight lately, it's been so hot here and her bare spot gets reddish and I'm thinking she's getting sunburned!!

Has anyone had something like this and how did you deal with it? I check all the time to see if anyone has pecked on her, but there has never been even a hint of broken skin, blood or anything.

 

[ChickenFarmer8]

I have never heard of a chicken not having any feathers a her back since being a chick.It could be that when she was a chick something happened that the feather so bad that feathers won't grow there anymore

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

She is being over mated by your cockerel.

 

[farmkat55]

She is being over mated by your cockerel.

I thought that at first, but he has 6 hens and he is not an overly aggressive breeder. I have never seen him on any specific hen over the others...I watch frequently as I'm home all day and wondered if that would be it. But also she has been like that ever since the feathers started coming in. Plus, the skin is just bald, not injured or roughed up or even like anything has irritated it. The sun DOES bother it...to me...she doesn't act any different but when I see it's looking kind of red when I let her out too much...I wondered how to protect her skin? I put her up when the sun gets too hot. Crazy!

 

[farmkat55]

I have never heard of a chicken not having any feathers a her back since being a chick.It could be that when she was a chick something happened that the feather so bad that feathers won't grow there anymore

Yeah, it's weird since her feathers as a baby looked like all of the others did. Could not see a difference till the regular feathers started coming in. I thought eventually they would fill in but they were all a year old this past May.

 

[Zinjifrah]

My EE pullet when I first got her, out of an over-crowded pen;

Not mating, pecking by the other birds, at least that's my assumption since I think all the birds in the pen were pullets.

My EE pullet now, after time in an uncrowded pen without getting picked on;

Not saying that's your problem... but there's certainly some physical resemblance.

 

[TheAmundsons]

I see you live in South Dakota. Where are you located?!

 

[lomine]

It does look like over-mating. I have 1 rooster and 20 hens/laying pullets and I still have some with missing feathers. He has his favorites that he mates often and others he doesn't mate at all. So over-mating is still possible even with numerous girls around.

It is odd that she hasn't had feathers in that spot ever though. Maybe you can put a hen saddle on her. Even if the bald spot has nothing to do with mating, the saddle might protect her from the sun. Just watch the cockerel when you first put it on. I tried using saddles on some of mine and the (at the time) cockerel chased them around and tried to pull the saddles off.

 

[farmkat55]

I see you live in South Dakota. Where are you located?!

Southeast corner in Lincoln County...you?

 

[farmkat55]

Southeast corner in Lincoln County...you?

Oh, I see Vermillion! We are up outside of Canton.