Missing Feathers??

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1934108 View attachment 1934109 View attachment 1934108 View attachment 1934109 View attachment 1934108 View attachment 1934108 View attachment 1934109 Hello! I’d appreciate some advice. Almost overnight my hen’s feathers were missing from her back. I thought it was aggressive hen pecking. I showed it to the local feed store and they suggested it was a fungus and recommended Blu Kote. I’ve been spraying this now for 3 days...I am not sure if it even is fungus. Can anyone help me identify this? She is a Russian Orloff, born end of March. She is also missing her neck/wattle feathers (beard). Those have been missing for some time now. Thanks for the help!

Thank you. No, have not observed any aggressive behavior from anyone. Happened overnight, I’m pretty sure.

I agree, it looks like feather picking/plucking to me too. I've never had a chicken with a beard, but have seen quite a few posters mention their hen or rooster seems to get the beard plucked at. Not sure exactly why, maybe they look a bit different?
Blu Kote won't hurt her. Pine tar may coat that a little better and the others may not pick at it so much with that on too.

Space issues are a lot of times the problem. How much space do you have for your coop/run (sq ft)? Boredom, something lacking in the diet can be the cause of feather picking - sometimes you have 1 hen that just picks on another.

Observe your girls, especially late evening/night to see if there's any picking.

 

[azygous]

EE beards are susceptible to plucking for the simple reason they get food in them and there seems there's always another chicken that can't resist "cleaning" it.

I have two EE hens, and one can't seem to hold onto her beard because she eats like a pig. She drags her beak through the FF (wet fermented feed) and it dries on her beard. She's practically wearing a meal on her face.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

EE beards are susceptible to plucking for the simple reason they get food in them and there seems there's always another chicken that can't resist "cleaning" it.

I have two EE hens, and one can't seem to hold onto her beard because she eats like a pig. She drags her beak through the FF (wet fermented feed) and it dries on her beard. She's practically wearing a meal on her face.

Yay Carol!!! Someone finally explained that one to me.
I give mine wet feed and yes, I do see the hens picking bits of food of each others beaks, so it makes perfect sense the bearded ones get a good cleaning too

 

[azygous]

You learn things by watching chicken TV.

 

[Oogie88]

EE beards are susceptible to plucking for the simple reason they get food in them and there seems there's always another chicken that can't resist "cleaning" it.

I have two EE hens, and one can't seem to hold onto her beard because she eats like a pig. She drags her beak through the FF (wet fermented feed) and it dries on her beard. She's practically wearing a meal on her face.

 

[Oogie88]

I agree, it looks like feather picking/plucking to me too. I've never had a chicken with a beard, but have seen quite a few posters mention their hen or rooster seems to get the beard plucked at. Not sure exactly why, maybe they look a bit different?
Blu Kote won't hurt her. Pine tar may coat that a little better and the others may not pick at it so much with that on too.

Space issues are a lot of times the problem. How much space do you have for your coop/run (sq ft)? Boredom, something lacking in the diet can be the cause of feather picking - sometimes you have 1 hen that just picks on another.

Observe your girls, especially late evening/night to see if there's any picking.

Thank you! The coop and run are plenty spacious. Unfortunately, I can’t observe them at night, as they are at the coop at my school. I have been there when they’ve gone to roost, and not seen any problems, but have not observed in the coop itself. Maybe I can swing by on a weekend night.

 

[dawg53]

Put some Nu-Stock on it. It'll clear it up in no time and prevent picking and pecking as well.

 

[Oogie88]

There is another reason why feathers can suddenly go missing so cleanly from a chicken's back. Hawk attack.

Had this hen been out free ranging before you noticed this bald back? I had a young hen survive a hawk attack, and I know it was a hawk because she was just outside my bedroom slider when the attack happened. Feathers exploded everywhere, and I was sure I'd just lost a hen.

Hi there: no, it’s not possible. They’re in an enclosed run all the time, located in the middle of a densely urban area in Seattle. They free range in the garden but only under immediate and constant supervision (mine), so I have to rule that out. We have no rooster, either

 

[azygous]

Thanks for responding to my hypothesis. It's good to be able to rule out a hawk attack.

That would pretty much leaving molt and/or feather picking. Molt and the pin feathers emerging can lead to picking. The chickens are attracted to the pink bare skin and see the blood rich pin feathers and become addicted to plucking them out. This results in a prolonged bare back.

There are several ways to handle it. I would begin by painting Blukote or Pick-no-mor or Nu-stock, as has been already suggested, on the bare skin to camouflage it. Or a hen saddle to cover the bare spot. Or pinless peepers if you can identify the culprits doing the picking.

Feeding high grade animal protein such as mackerel or liver two or three times a week during molt can help satisfy a craving for protein during fall molt and encourage new feather growth. Feeding Feather Fixer can also satisfy this nutritional shortfall.

 

[Oogie88]

Thanks for responding to my hypothesis. It's good to be able to rule out a hawk attack.

That would pretty much leaving molt and/or feather picking. Molt and the pin feathers emerging can lead to picking. The chickens are attracted to the pink bare skin and see the blood rich pin feathers and become addicted to plucking them out. This results in a prolonged bare back.

There are several ways to handle it. I would begin by painting Blukote or Pick-no-mor or Nu-stock, as has been already suggested, on the bare skin to camouflage it. Or a hen saddle to cover the bare spot. Or pinless peepers if you can identify the culprits doing the picking.

Feeding high grade animal protein such as mackerel or liver two or three times a week during molt can help satisfy a craving for protein during fall molt and encourage new feather growth. Feeding Feather Fixer can also satisfy this nutritional shortfall.

Thank you for the specific suggestions! I will definitely look into this.