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.

 

[Frostsj12]

Thank you for mentioning these! They have adequate space but increasing protein is a great suggestion. I’ll give that a try and see how it goes.

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

Thank you for mentioning these! They have adequate space but increasing protein is a great suggestion. I’ll give that a try and see how it goes.

Do you have a rooster? I’m asking because I saw a similar feather loss on the back side of one of my hens who happened to be one of my cockerel’s favorite ladies. I could find no health issue contributing to her bare bum. No other ladies had this type of feather loss. The hen in question was high status enough that just couldn’t see her getting pecked at. I thought: no, it can’t be possible that my rooster is wearing her feathers off there, could it?

Lo and behold, my poor cockerel is no longer with us and - what do you know - that hen’s bottom feathers are growing back with a vengeance.

Please keep investigating the other possible causes (crowd related pecking, vent gleet, parasites, whatever) but consider the “rooster wear and tear” option, if appropriate to your situation.

I didn’t think it was possible, either, but here we are…

 

[Frostsj12]

Do you have a rooster? I’m asking because I saw a similar feather loss on the back side of one of my hens who happened to be one of my cockerel’s favorite ladies. I could find no health issue contributing to her bare bum. No other ladies had this type of feather loss. The hen in question was high status enough that just couldn’t see her getting pecked at. I thought: no, it can’t be possible that my rooster is wearing her feathers off there, could it?

Lo and behold, my poor cockerel is no longer with us and - what do you know - that hen’s bottom feathers are growing back with a vengeance.

Please keep investigating the other possible causes (crowd related pecking, vent gleet, parasites, whatever) but consider the “rooster wear and tear” option, if appropriate to your situation.

I didn’t think it was possible, either, but here we are…

No rooster! Just hens. Appreciate the response though. Funny how we figure things out sometimes