Missing feathers - molting? picking?

[slfg]

Oh my gosh. I have the prettiest flock of hens...or had! They're 10 months old, could they be molting already? But they're also picking each other's feathers and eating them. My 2 little red leghorns are nearly bald! The EEs, sussexes, and minorcas are missing a lot of feathers also. My wyandottes are the only ones who arent missing too many. They're missing breast, butt, saddle feathers, and a few are thin around the neck, too. I have 20 hens in a 24x24' run with a nice size coop, so I think they have enough room? They did lay REALLY well ALL winter. 15 to 17 eggs from 20 hens every day. I was impressed. So would this make them molt sooner?

Any ideas? Will they pick and eat feathers because they're molting? I've had a slight decrease in eggs this week...maybe 12 eggs a day. Is it their feed? I give them tractor supply's brand of layer pellets, plus a small amount of table scraps.

They look pretty rough! Thanks!! :/

 

[Basil G]

If they are picking at each other's feathers they could be board, but you said you had them for while and this is new. I would give them something high in protein to help the feathers grow back (I give my chickens cat food when they molt) and if you want to "entertain" them I cut a head of lettuce in half and through it in the run so they could peck at the lettuce and not each other.

 

[slfg]

Upping their protein to see if that helps. Cat food? Sounds easy enough. I could probably scramble and feed back some of the older eggs that I've stock piled, too. Hopefully their feathers grow back fairly soon. And hopefully the picking and eating feathers hasn't become a habit.