Losing feathers?

[iPeanut1990]

Any idea why she's losing feathers on her belly? I caught my 3 hens dust bathing while I was checking for eggs. I noticed she has a bald spot on her tummy. They were laying consistently 3 eggs all week. Yesterday that stopped. I got one this morning so far. I've noticed one of them kind of has watery poop. Another has a really messy poopy bottom. They seem to be acting normally otherwise. Eating and drinking as far as I can tell. They'll be 1 year old in May. They're rhode island reds. Should I be concerned? Sorry it's not the best pic. It's hard to hold a wiggly chicken and take a picture with 1 hand.

 

[Eggcessive]

One common reason for a hen to lose feathers on her belly, is that she has been plucking her feathers to sit on eggs to hatch them--otherwise known as becoming broody. If she is hanging around a nest box more often, that might be the reason. I would look her over for any signs of lice or mites, or their eggs. As for the diarrhea and messy bottom, just keep the vent cleaned off by trimming feathers around the vent, and try some probiotics in the water a few days a week. Worming them with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid would also be a good idea.

 

[iPeanut1990]

I guess I need to go on an egg hunt! I did find a couple broken ones in their nesting area. I'm not sure if they were shell less or not. They were broken and mixed in with the shavings when I found it. I'll check them for bugs too.