Missing feathers, red skin -- any ideas?

[LuauLady]

Hi there,

I have a 1-year-old Black Sex-Link hen who has a few spots of missing feathers and red skin. The quills are broken, but there is no broken skin. All three of her bald patches are on her upper chest.

My initial assumption was mites or fleas, and I have been regularly dousing her, the coop, the run in diatomaceous earth. But she has a new patch as of today.

A few other key pieces of info: she tends to be one of the more dominant birds in the group. None of the other hens have shown signs of this. Also, I know she has not stopped laying -- 6 hens and 6 eggs a day.

Any thoughts? Thanks!Link

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

She could be rubbing against the coop, or the other hens are picking at it. My rooster had done that when he rubbed up against his jay feeder in his cage. Make sure there and no pokey parts on the cage she could hurt herself on.