molting

[moonlitfarms]

This is my first year with chickens. My hens look as if they might be molting. But since I'm not sure what this looks like, I need some help. Most of them have lost a spot of feathers on their back, and it seems that new growth is coming in. However, I have a buff Orp who lost all of her butt feathers and none on her back. Is this normal? Also all of them have been laying. I have six hens and have been getting 4-6 eggs a day. So I just want to make sure that all is normal here.

 

[MissPrissy]

Are there any roos in with them? The roos can make them bald on the back and butt area.

 

[moonlitfarms]

Yes they have one roo with them. Should I be concerned?

 

[MissPrissy]

If he is trying to mate with them alot he will use his feet and spurs on their back and pull out their feathers. They will also grab them by the back of the head and you might sometimes see feathers missing fromthere as well. You can put saddles on them to keep the wear and tear at a minimum.

I am having this problem now. Some of my girls look aweful! I am trying to make enough saddles for several of them to wear.

 

[moonlitfarms]

Well it is winter and I guess he has nothing better to do when all cooped up! lol

 

[Carole AM]

Soon they will have buddies! LOL

 

[Olive]

I have the same problem. I had to bring a hen from the barn. She had inch long gashes just under her wings. So I put her in a kennel in my garage. She loved being babied and getting all the treats just for herself. I kept her in the garage for a week. I just put her back, the other hens didn't even noticed. What do saddles look like? Where can I get some or are they easy to make? I've been thinking about putting the rooster in the kennel for awhile to give the hens a break.

 

[meriruka]

I was just about to start a thread asking for help about moulting when I saw this one. My two oldest hens (they will be two years old in April) look really awful. One is missing most of her tail feathers and has a bald patch on her chest. The skin looks a little red, like an abrasion and lots of her wing feathers are missing. I don't have a rooster and she is not being picked on. She's #2 in the pecking order. Her sister isn't so bad, she just looks a little ratty. The three younger hens (1 yr old) look fine. I checked for mites or lice, there doesn't appear to be anything. Does anyone have any pics of a moulting chicken so I can tell if this is what is really happening? Why would they moult in the middle of winter when they need their feathers the most to stay warm? I fear going out tomorrow and finding her bald....