My hen has lost her tail feathers

[LMAC]

She still has all of the downey feathers on her butt, but no tail feathers. No blood or signs of trauma to the area. Is this normal? She is about 18 weeks old. The other 3 in the flock seem to be fine.

 

[NightHawk123]

It sounds like 1 of 2 things to me. I'm no expert tho. 1, something pulled her tail feathers out. 2, poor nutrition. Either her body isn't able to get what it needs from the food like the others can or the others aren't letting her eat well. Try a supplement for a few weeks. You can get them at your local feed store. Iv seen tail feathers fall out or never grow many times in the past because the chicken didnt get the nutrition needed to grow them.

 

[Dutchgirl]

Sounds to me like she just molted. Is that it? Often chickens, though especially noticeably on roosters, will lose their main tail feathers during a molt.

 

[khrisilou]

I have one little lady who keeps losing her tail feathers. They fall out, come back in and are gone again before you know it. She is the dominant hen and there is no blood or redness...just a sad little bare bum. I dust with DE, have found no signs of mites and feed them a diet richer in protein than the layer pellets with a few treats here and there. She's not broody, not molting and laying well. Any ideas?