Losing Feathers

[anicholas]

Hi, I have 8 hens. One of them lost some feathers on the underside of the neck a few weeks ago. The rest of the flock was fine. Recently, I noticed a second bird has lost a large patch of feathers around her vent. The skin is very clean and I don't see any evidence of mites...perhaps I'm missing something? Should I treat the entire flock for mites?

 

[coach723]

Have you checked at night for mites? Some mites live in the coop and only feed at night while the birds are roosting. https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
Some other possibilities are feather picking, which can happen also at night on the roosts. Common causes of that are boredom, over crowding, or not enough protein in the diet. Some observing would hopefully answer whether that is going on.
Another possibility is molt, some birds will molt at 'odd' times of year, so looking carefully for signs of pin feathers coming in (new feathers) would answer if that is going on.
Pictures are always welcome and often helpful in identifying what is going on.

 

[littlepip]

yes check for mites. I noticed that sometimes our rooster will also pick on the hens. it doesn't hurt them and the skin is never bloody, but it causes them to lose some feathers. good luck!

 

[anicholas]

Are mites visible on the skin? How big are they? What are some of the tell-tale signs (other than feather loss).

Thanks.

 

[coach723]

The link I gave you before has lots of pictures to help you identify any external parasites that might be there.