Massive feather loss

[Wol1]

Pictures at bottom of post.
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We have a Rhode Island Red who is losing feathers in a huge way. I finally took her to the vet and she had no answer for me. The other chickens are fine (there are 12). They are eating layer feed and free ranging within a 160 square foot run with a moveable fence. They have a coop that is 10 ft x 15 ft. She acts fine. She is laying normal eggs on a regular basis. The vet checked her for signs of external parasites and saw nothing. We've checked and rechecked the coop and haven't found parasites. We cleaned it out thoroughly anyway and I put poultry dust with permethrin on the roost, floor, nest boxes. They all began to lay fewer eggs and lots of thin or no shell eggs about 6 weeks ago. Then messy bottoms, and broken feathers around the vents. Gave them Safe Guard for internal parasites and things cleared up nicely. Somewhere around that time she began to have rumpled feathers sticking out here and there. I started getting concerned, but was distracted by having one of our chickens mauled by our dog. We also have had new chicks since mid-March. When I saw how naked she was, I took her to the vet..... I'm clueless. I have looked at this web page by Chicken Chick on feather loss: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=feather+picking

After reading this, I'm beginning to think it's either behavioral or not enough protein (a bad bag of feed maybe?). Or maybe started by the picking around the vents when they had internal parasites and then kept going? Another of our Rhode Island Reds has been foster mothering the new chicks in a separate "nursery coop". She is now back with the other "grown-ups". Could this be stress from her absence? They weren't particularly close. We did have a predator take a chicken a week or two ago, but this was well under way by then.

I've started adding a poultry conditioner to their feed along with an electrolyte/vitamin powder. I've given them flock fuel a few times, but I don't want to "over-vitamin" them.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what is going on or how to stop it?

The pictures. I gave her a bath in a "sensitive skin" oatmeal flea and tick shampoo. With wet feathers the loss is very easy to see. Also slippery!

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any chickens with perfect feathers that might possibly be picking the feathers? I would let them all eat chick starter since you have chicks right now, and place some crushed oyster shell in a separate pan for the hens to take when they need it. The 20% protein may help, and make sure they have plenty of room, and some objects of interest in the run to occupy their time. Free ranging is best if you can. A bad-tasting anti-pick lotion, or Bag Balm, or Nustock, a sulfur/pine oil-based cream may help keep them from picking her. Extra vitamins 3 days a week in the food or water would probably help in case of vitamin deficiency.

 

[Wol1]

Thanks.

All the rest have lovely feathers.. especially mama hen since she molted after "her" chicks were "born" (and popped under her by the feed-store-chick stork.) The chicks are in a separate part of the barn. The big girls are nearing the end of a bag of feed, so I think I'll try giving them chick starter. They do have oyster shell available at all times.

I guess I've got to ignore the garden a bit and pull up a chair and watch them more closely (and a flashlight at night to see who's sitting beside her on the roost).. Why would she let someone pull out so many feathers? ... Do the other chickens fight back harder? ??? ???? The mysterious chicken mind.

 

[GOLDENSEABRIGHT]

Do you have any chickens with perfect feathers that might possibly be picking the feathers? I would let them all eat chick starter since you have chicks right now, and place some crushed oyster shell in a separate pan for the hens to take when they need it. The 20% protein may help, and make sure they have plenty of room, and some objects of interest in the run to occupy their time. Free ranging is best if you can. A bad-tasting anti-pick lotion, or Bag Balm, or Nustock, a sulfur/pine oil-based cream may help keep them from picking her. Extra vitamins 3 days a week in the food or water would probably help in case of vitamin deficiency.

agreed

 

[Wol1]

Sooooo.... today I put out some "mash" made of chick feed, poultry conditioner and water. They love it. Everyone came running except Miss Mary Lou, the semi-naked chicken. After calling her for awhile, I figured she must just be in a crucial stage of laying an egg. Sooooo I went into the barn and opened the door to the nest boxes. There she stood, guilty look on her face, EATING an egg. She just stood there staring at me with raw egg dribbling out the sides of her mouth. After scolding her (made me feel better, anyway) and cleaning up, I decided maybe I should give her what she is obviously craving in a less damage provoking way. I scrambled an egg for her. She devoured it. I will be getting 20% layer feed tomorrow.

Any idea when I might see improvement or know when to lay off the high protein food?

 

[Eggcessive]

Mine stay on 20% most of the time. The hens need oyster shell though for the extra calcium.

 

[Wol1]

Howdy neighbor!

I think I will buy 20% from now on. They already have oyster shell available, so that's ok. It will also work with my two new baby roos (well, gawky teenagers now) when they grow up. I will also never buy feed on sale at a fantastic price again unless I'm sure it's fresh and has high quality protein. I think that's what started this whole odyssey... a bad bag of feed. Actually two. A month of malnutrition.

 

[Eggcessive]

I started using the 20% on my whole flock when I had a mix of chicks, roosters, and hens on the ground. I like the pellets for the older birds, but when there are chicks under 3 months, I buy the crumbles. Purina Flock Raiser crumbles and Southern States Rockin Rooster Growth Booster Pellets are the brands I use and have available. Some people like to stay in the 16% protein range, but mine don't get many treats, and as long as they don't get over 20%, I think they are fine. Gout can be a problem with too high of protein.

 

[AngieUpNorth]

I also have had 2 chickens with the identical pattern of feather loss. One died a month ago and my other one is dropping off weight as she went this bitter cold weather without her breast and bottom feathers. I'm convinced it is the depluming mite as I can see no evidence of an external mite. I have found information on this site regarding the use of compounding pharmacy sulphur, soap and water to dip the chickens in. I also increased their feed to starter chic protein level so that's 18%. I feed certified organic, soy free feed so they get good nutrition as they free range all afternoon and until roost time. It's related to the scaly leg mite and Vaseline can be used to kill them since they won't get oxygen. I am going to start religiously putting Vaseline on my girls bare body until and after I get the sulfur at the end of the week.

This treatment is the least poisonous and most effective treatment from what I have read. I shy away from most chemicals and I'm going this route and believe Star will get her plumage back in record time.

 

[aquagolda]

it could be feather pecking/eating