Missing Feathers

[countyroad1330]

I have 6 hens; 2 molted months ago & never got their feathers back. One partially did, her skin is at least covered. The other is completely naked on her back. Some start to grow in but then disappear. They all seem completely healthy & act normal, & I haven't noticed mites. What should I do?

 

[coach723]

Pictures?

 

[countyroad1330]

*Edited to add pictures

 

[coach723]

That very much looks like rooster damage from mounting, possibly feather picking going on also. Are the 6 hens the only birds you have? How much space do they have, coop and run? Sometimes a dominant hen will do mounting behavior when there is no rooster. You can try hen saddles/aprons to protect the back until feathers do grow in, but would be good to pinpoint the cause for sure.
http://www.hensaver.com/hen-apron-saddle-styles-colors-prices.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/free-chicken-apron-saddle-pattern.424354/#post-5201261

 

[countyroad1330]

I thought that too, but we only have the 6 hens. And I never see any of them being aggressive! And the buff orp doesn't have the same pattern of missing feathers.

 

[coach723]

I saw that, but the feathers missing on the shoulders is almost always from mounting. Once broken feathers are there, then feather picking may make it worse. The bare skin with little bits of shaft can draw picking sometimes. The black one/sex link also has feather loss on the top and back of the head, where they grab to hold on while mounting. It's not uncommon for only one or two, or just a few to get beat up, they may be more submissive and squat easily for whomever, and get mounted much more than others. I have a couple of hens that will squat for just about anything or anyone, they are so submissive. Not enough space can make it worse. The more room they have to get away, the less it will happen, but for some birds it may happen a lot. When new feathers disappear before fully forming, then it's usually feather picking. Not enough protein in the diet can sometimes contribute (too many treats can reduce protein by a lot) but often overcrowding or boredom are bigger issues. And overcrowding is dependent on the birds in question. One dominant bird can make a space that worked before become too small.

 

[countyroad1330]

I give them kale every day, & have started giving them sunflower seeds for protein. Should I not so the kale daily? What else can I give them for protein?

 

[Matejka]

Can cat food, tuna, leftover pieces of meat from dinner. Mine love lol smokies.

 

[coach723]

While kale is good, maybe not every day. I think it's often hard for humans to judge how much is 'too much' for a 4 -6 lb bird. I would back off on the amounts and frequency of all treats for a while, see if you see some improvement overall. If you are feeding layer feed, you might consider switching to a flock raiser type feed also. Layer is usually 16% protein, the flock raisers are usually 18%-20%. You will need to make sure to provide oystershell in a separate feeder for calcium since the flock raiser doesn't have enough added like the layer does. Many feed the flock raiser since older hens that are laying less, or not at all, birds that are molting or taking the winter off laying, or roosters, don't need the extra calcium, and too much calcium can cause problems too. The hens that need the calcium will take what they need.
Rather than what we tend to give as 'treats' I give my birds a mash every morning of their regular crumble mixed in water. I use puppy pans spread around the run. They love it, they consider it a 'treat' and come running every morning. And I'm not watering down their diet. I sprinkle a few mealworms and sunflower seeds on top of each dish, but it's really only a few. I am as guilty as anyone else in too many treats at times, it's really, REALLY easy to do.