Molting? Mites? Bullying?

[nikkigertrude]

Hi there! I am recently new to owning chickens, I bought a house that came with them and I never thought I’d keep them but here we are two years later and I am stumped. I have 6 “babies” who turned 1 year old last July 2025. 5 out of 6 have had areas of feather loss since last spring that just continues to not improve. Some of them have even lost feathers on their necks and around their head. I have treated with ivermectin despite not seeing any mites. I have used anti peck spray and blue kote despite not seeing any obvious bullying. I have given them high protein feed to help with molting. I’m honestly at a loss of what to do to help this babies. They act fine and continue to lay like normal, but it’s been nearly a year with no end in sight and j would appreciate any tips or suggestions!

 

[davemonkey]

I have heard of some chickens (Marans, in particular, from one breeder at least) being "pluckers" of other birds' feathers. But seems like you would have witnessed this behavior if this was happening (unless it's only when they are roosting for the night).

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like they are pecking each other’s feathers out. The one with no feather loss could be the main culprit. They do this when they are bored or overcrowded in their coop or pen, when they are getting too little protein in the diet or too many treats or scratch, and sometimes when they don’t get outside to roam around daily. Can you describe the size of their coop and run, and if they go outside daily? What do you feed them including extras? I would increase their protein to 20% in an all flock feed, and limit scraps or scratch. Be sure to put out some crushed oyster shell for the layers. Pinless peepers can be good for one doing the pecking, to take their aim off the others. But make sure they have plenty of room. Do you see any mites crawling on the skin under their vents under sings, or around their necks? You should either see mites or lice, or the droppings or eggs those leave behind. Here is what to look for:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/