Missing Butt Feathers...Why?

[Ladies-Eight]

Some of my chickens are missing their butt feathers, They are eating good, drinking good, and laying 12 to 16 eggs a day.




Any help would be appreciated.

 

[FeatheredFriends&Horses2]

How many chickens do you have and how many are missing feathers? Have you checked for mites? If it's a very small amount it could be that they're broody, molting, or pecking at each other. Sorry, I dont know how much help this is

 

[coach723]

Always a good idea to check for lice/mites with any feather loss. When I have bare butts it's almost always feather picking on the roosts. How many birds and how much roost space do you have? You may be able to add a roost or two, depending on your set up and that may solve the problem. Some birds like more space than others, and they will often face opposite directions in the effort to protect their heads and eyes from being pecked by their neighbor, leaving the back end to get the brunt. Also, if roosts are too close together, that can put them butt to face and make it easy to pick. Over crowding and boredom are the most common causes of feather picking, not enough protein can also contribute (too many treats can reduce the total protein in the diet).

 

[Ladies-Eight]

How many chickens do you have and how many are missing feathers? Have you checked for mites? If it's a very small amount it could be that they're broody, molting, or pecking at each other. Sorry, I dont know how much help this is

I have 19 chickens. I will have to go back out to the run to count which ones are missing feathers. I do not have any roosters.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Always a good idea to check for lice/mites with any feather loss. When I have bare butts it's almost always feather picking on the roosts. How many birds and how much roost space do you have? You may be able to add a roost or two, depending on your set up and that may solve the problem. Some birds like more space than others, and they will often face opposite directions in the effort to protect their heads and eyes from being pecked by their neighbor, leaving the back end to get the brunt. Also, if roosts are too close together, that can put them butt to face and make it easy to pick. Over crowding and boredom are the most common causes of feather picking, not enough protein can also contribute (too many treats can reduce the total protein in the diet).

I will have to measure the roosts to give you an accurate assessment. I will count the chickens when I go back to put them up. They are being fed Layena Crumble. They have Oyster Shell calcium available in the coop and the run.

 

[coach723]

About 12" of roost space per bird is a good starting number, but actual personalities can vary that greatly. Some birds like to snuggle, and some don't like to touch. I have one brahama that gets pretty testy if anyone is in her space, she does not like anyone too close. So sometimes you have to make adjustments based on actual flock dynamics. And if you have rows of roosts, then 18" apart means they can't really reach each other across the space. This may help:
https://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2015/05/13/how-much-roost-space-do-my-chickens-need/
If space is not the issue, you may find that switching to a flock raiser or all flock feed that has a bit more protein (18 -20% vs the 16% in layer) may help. You do need to make sure you have the calcium/oyster shell out all the time for those that need it. That is how I feed my flock since I have roosters in the mix, and I've found my hens seem to do better with the bit of extra protein. Just more to think about.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

I have 19 chickens with missing feathers on 12. I have checked for mites and lice none found. I have two 7 foot roosts that are together on one end and over 12 inches apart on the other end, then I have a 4 foot roost. I know there are 5 roosting on the 4 foot roost. I have 14 chickens roosting on the two 7 foot roosts with half on one end and half on the other end with the middle completely empty. I give them some scratch at the end of the day as I am locking them in the coop (about 1 cup to 2 cups).

 

[ChickenLeg]

Id say mites too