molting or mites?

[Chelsea1164]

my chickens aren’t laying eggs and are losing feathers. i think they are molting but i want to be sure. any information you can give you be helpful. thank you!

 

[cherrynberry]

Check the bare areas for pin feathers which would mean molting. Check for mites or lice under thier vent area and just keep an open eye in general. Do you have a rooster? What do you feed? How much percentages of protein?

 

[Chelsea1164]

Check the bare areas for pin feathers which would mean molting. Check for mites or lice under thier vent area and just keep an open eye in general. Do you have a rooster? What do you feed? How much percentages of protein?

i did have a rooster and that is the reason for the yellow hens feathers missing. we rehomed our rooster so the feathers on the other hens are not the cause of him. right now they are eating scratch mixed with some special laying feed mixed in. they also get meal worms and crickets to help with protein. i’ll check them closer tomorrow for mites though. thank you

 

[cherrynberry]

i did have a rooster and that is the reason for the yellow hens feathers missing. we rehomed our rooster so the feathers on the other hens are not the cause of him. right now they are eating scratch mixed with some special laying feed mixed in. they also get meal worms and crickets to help with protein. i’ll check them closer tomorrow for mites though. thank you

I recommend feeding them a 90% commercial feed (Purina is a good brand) and at most 10% treats (mealworms, crickets). They need a 18% or 20% protein diet to be able to regrow their feathers well. If scratch makes up most of their diet, they will not flourish.