Molting......or something else???

[gabby3535]

One of my hens is missing feathers on her back, under her wings, and on the 'shoulder' area of her wings.......
here's a few pics of her.....

She is the ONLY hen who looks like this.......
she is eating, drinking, pooping, and acting fine...she has 3 1/2 week old chicks, was broody for about 4 weeks, and does not have
mites...........but she is the only one!
Is she doing this to herself?
Is this what molting looks like?
When chickens molt.....do they pull their own feathers out, or is someone else 'picking on' her?
Help.........?

 

[carrlr]

Pictures don't look like a molt since they seem pretty isolated. If it was just her back, I'd suggest an over zealous roo. Let's see what others suggest.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Looks like she is in a molt. Just depends on the chicken as to how heavy a molt they go thru, usually if they are older than a year and a half they molt harder. They don't pull out the feathers when they molt they just fall out.

Give her some extra protein in the form of scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, moist cat food, sunflower seeds to help her get thru it. It usually takes a month or two to grow in the new feathers. She probably won't start laying again for awhile either even if she was broody. The loss of feathers on her back could be also from rooster treading to mate with her but looks like she is getting those back in if she was broody for awhile.

 

[CMV]

My broody generally goes into a more impressive molt than all the other hens. I think it is the stress from being broody triggers a harder molt. She does look like she's molting, but I also think she's molting in those particular areas because of feather damage caused by a rooster.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

It's molting. A couple of my hens look worst than that. When chickens molt, they get itchy.

 

[gabby3535]

I am the original poster of this question, and just an FYI.......I don't have a roo.....

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
Agreed! You can see the feathers coming back in already.

 

[gabby3535]

Bump......hopefully, for more replies.

 

[clucker's r us]

I'd say your roo as well, to generalized! have you tried giving extra protein? I give em dry cat fud, baby food, cooked meat, even with the bones they love to pick the meat off em! their eggs if not fertilized.... hope this helps! good luck with her, but i think she'll be good, itchy but fine!

 

[mom2to]

all my chickens look like this and have stopped laying. i say molting.