We got them in March of last year. The coop is 5ft by 5 ft. Plus 4 nest boxes. This is not including the outside area they are allowed to run in. It houses 8 chickens.
Also what do lice look like on chickens?
You don't have enough space in your coop. Middle of the road suggestions for coop space is 4 square feet per bird. You only have 25 and should have 32 for your 8 birds. It would be more generous to have 5 sq feet per bird, a total of 40, coop size 6x7. The coop was probably fine when they were chicks, but as they've grown larger, they are not having enough "elbow room".
Prefab coop manufacturers will advertise their coops as 2-3 square feet per bird and tell you that is adequate. Many seasoned chicken owners I've met think this is not enough space at all and therefore suggest a minimum of 4 sq feet per bird.
You may also have an insect issue, we don't know yet. But if I were you, I would either expand or get a bigger coop very soon or reduce your flock size. I am pretty sure the feather loss is due to feather picking. This is very common when you put too many chickens in too small of a space, especially in winter, when they spend more time in the coop.
A,minor issue...you don't really need 4 nest boxes for 8 hens. 2 would be plenty, as they will share. If you do expand your coop enough for your 8 birds and don't plan to get more chickens, I'd remove 1 or 2 nest boxes to give a little more room. We have 4 nest boxes for 20 hens, which works great...they takes turns using them, like waiting for the bathroom!
As for what lice look like, do a search in BYC for them, there are several very good threads about them, with lots of photos.
