Mites or molt?

[Frostsj12]

Hi all. Chicken is about 8 months old. In a flock with 5 others, and this is the only bird that seems impacted. Seems to be acting normal overall. I noticed the bare patch a couple weeks ago and assumed it was just new feathers coming in but am concerned now that it’s been a couple weeks and doesn’t look great. Planning to check the coop for mites tonight but have never dealt with mites so I’m having a hard time knowing what to look for and feel a bit unsure. Would appreciate feedback! There’s a red scab but I haven’t noticed other chickens picking on her.

 

[nuthatched]

The others are picking her rear

 

[WingItRanch]

I have a hen like this. For some reason the others like to grab her butt feathers. I think it's because she hogs the favorite nest box.

They can pull feathers at night on the roost too so you may not see it when it happens.

 

[Frostsj12]

Thank you both! I’m thinking I might try out hen healer to try to deter the pecking and will post back once I have an update

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you both! I’m thinking I might try out hen healer to try to deter the pecking and will post back once I have an update

The two top reasons for chickens pecking each others feathers are lack of protein and overcrowding. You maybe want to double-check those two things, and if okay, then it's something else.

Lack of protein: Most layer feeds are around 16% protein. They could maybe be requiring a bit more. You could either switch to an all-flock that is up around 20% (Kalmback's Flock Maker is what we feed, and it's 20%) or just supplement them occasionally. There are several high-protein treats, but scrambled eggs are the healthiest and easiest if you have extra eggs.

Overcrowding: Each adult bird should have 4 square feet each in their coop, and 15 square feet in their run, unless they free range.