Missing feathers

[bjdam2014]

I have a 1 hen out of 12 that has some missing feathers down by her tail and was wondering if anyone has any ideas what is going on. I don't have any roosters and don't notice any other hen bullying her...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How long have you had chickens?
How much coop and run space do you have?
How many hens do you have?

It looks like she's being plucked/ picked on. Check her over for any signs of lice/mites. You can apply some Blu-Kote to help hide the redness. Watch your flock when they go to roost at night, to see if any picking/plucking is happening then.

 

[bjdam2014]

12 hens. Run is 12x8. Coop is 8x8. And they are 1 year old. I don't see any lice or mites.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

12 hens. Run is 12x8. Coop is 8x8. And they are 1 year old. I don't see any lice or mites.

Ideally a run should have at least 10sq ft of space for each chicken that you have and the coop should have at least 4sq ft of space for each chicken. If you have a way to provide them with more run space that would be good (more is better when it comes to chickens).

If that's not possible, try providing them with some extra protein like egg, tuna, mackerel or meat. Add some poultry vitamins to their water once a week as well. Feather picking and aggression can be a combination of boredom, space issues and nutritional (protein) deficiencies.

Add some perches (roosting bars) to the run so they can get away from one another and offer some "boredom" busters like hanging cabbage, a bundle or two of greens, apple, etc. for them to pick at. Dump some clean dry leaves or pine needles into the run for the to dig through etc. When chickens get bored they can become nasty and start targeting one another by plucking out feathers.

Also check to see if there is sufficient roosting space inside the coop, sometimes adding another roosting bar can help as well.