Missing Feathers

[IndianaGreg]

Hello All... Just under a year of chicken experience. But must ask this question about my BO.
I noticed 2 days ago that a couple of my hens (no rooster) are losing feather around their tail end. Their vents look okay and they act ok but some of the others are pecking them and causing a ruckus... Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.. Thanks so much..

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

Oh nooo...hope someone with more experience that I have can chime in with helpful advice. Good luck.

 

[IndianaGreg]

No answers or help? Please...

 

[coach723]

Sorry no one has answered you. Always with feather loss it's a good idea to check for mites and lice. Some mites only come out to feed at night, so checking with a flashlight after they've gone to roost is how you find those. Here is a link with pictures to help with identification. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
Feather picking is most commonly caused by overcrowding, boredom, or not enough protein in the diet. How many birds do you have and what kind of space in your coop and run do you have for them? It does appear that there are pecking wounds below her vent.
If you can post pictures of your set up, with dimensions of space it will help to get suggestions. Often times they will do this when they are roosting or wrestling for roosting space so sometimes reworking the roosting bar layout can help. Many times the space recommendations in print are just minimum starting points and depending on the breeds you have and the personalities of the individual birds, much more space is actually necessary. Sometimes applying blue-kote will discourage pecking, sometimes it doesn't work. It can be messy, not my favorite stuff.
Look up boredom busters, and if you are feeding layer feed then switching to a higher protein flock raiser or grower feed in the 18 - 20% protein range can help, make sure to have oyster shell available all the time in a separate feeder as the non-layer feeds don't have enough for laying hens, they will take what they need. Also look at what treats you are giving and the amount. Scratch is often a huge contributor to lowering the total protein in their diet as they will eat it first in lieu of their feed. Anything other than feed should be kept to 10% or less of the total diet. Hope that gives you some ideas to start with.