Need help with my laying hens plz!

[LorraineBart]

Hello. I have 14 laying hens. Half are about a year old and the other half are about a year and a half old. They are excellent layers. But about 5 mo ago or so they started pecking each other bad. I think it was something in the feed. I switched the feed and free range them now so they are much happier. They don't peck each other anymore. A couple have gotten all their feathers back but there are many who still look just awful! I love my chickens so it makes me super sad. They still lay very well and are still very active. So no strange behavior but they just can't seem to grow their feathers back. The skin almost seems scarred over at this point? I also thought about mites so we've been sprinkling Diotamacius Earth in their coop just in case. Not sure if someone call tell from how they look what the real problem is plaguing my sweet flock?? Any help is very appreciated! I prefer natural remedies if possible but will do whatever is needed to help my girls out. God bless.

 

[samanthaoverton]

Are you feeding them laying pellets and oyster shell? Those look like leghorns. Also how big is the run?

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there,
Diotomaeceous Earth is non effective for pests and is a serious respiratory irritant for you and your birds, please do not use it around them and wear a mask when you clean your coop.
What was your birds diet while they were picking and what is it now?
Its not a matter of what's in the feed but what not in it. The feathers likely won't grow back until they molt but you likely still have picking going on. Can you closer pictures of the areas, please?
You may have to do a complete clean out if the coop, treat for mites and get all new litter and bedding.

 

[coach723]

Are you sure you don't have a rooster? Sometimes a dominant hen will also do mounting behavior also, in the absence of a roo. I would do some observing to see if that's going on. Some of it looks like rooster damage from mounting, the loss of feather on backs above the tail, shoulders and behind the comb on the back of the head.
The bare butts could be feather picking and that often happens on the roosts at night.
Common causes of feather picking are over crowding, boredom and not enough protein in the diet. If you have them on a layer feed, which is usually 16%, then they may do better on an all flock type that is in the 18 - 20% protein range. How big is your coop? You may need to add roosts, or modify the spacing to give them more room to spread out. Some birds like to snuggle, but some demand space. Space is often the issue, and it's pretty common. As said above, they may not feather back out until they molt.

 

[LorraineBart]

Are you feeding them laying pellets and oyster shell? Those look like leghorns. Also how big is the run?

I was feeding them layer pellets and oyster shells when this problem started. I make them a mixture now from scratch (Oats, corn, etc etc) and still give oyster shells when they run out of crushed egg shells. They sleep in a coop that is 12x12 and during the day they roam our 1/2 acre so there's plenty of room.
Yes, the majority of those with this problem are leghorn.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I was feeding them layer pellets and oyster shells when this problem started. I make them a mixture now from scratch (Oats, corn, etc etc) and still give oyster shells when they run out of crushed egg shells. They sleep in a coop that is 12x12 and during the day they roam our 1/2 acre so there's plenty of room.
Yes, the majority of those with this problem are leghorn.

I'd switch your feed. Leghorns are power layers. They have been bred that way. This is an old breed that is highly modernized for egg production. I have leghorns myself. I would switch back to laying pellets or an all flock type feed and keep the oyster shell. Feathers are protein/collegen/etc. They need protein to build feathers and oyster shell. Oyster shell will also help prevent some reproduction issues that occur with this breed. ..

 

[nuthatched]

Iwas feeding them layer pellets and oyster shells when this problem started. I make them a mixture now from scratch (Oats, corn, etc etc) and still give oyster shells when they run out of crushed egg shells. They sleep in a coop that is 12x12 and during the day they roam our 1/2 acre so there's plenty of room.
Yes, the majority of those with this problem are leghorn.

Do you have the nutritional information for your mix? What's the protein source? What is the full recipe? Homemade Chicken feed is very hard to formulate to meet nutritional needs. Oats are actually bad for chickens.

 

[Sequel]

Are you sure you don't have a rooster? Sometimes a dominant hen will also do mounting behavior also, in the absence of a roo. I would do some observing to see if that's going on. Some of it looks like rooster damage from mounting, the loss of feather on backs above the tail, shoulders and behind the comb on the back of the head.
The bare butts could be feather picking and that often happens on the roosts at night.
Common causes of feather picking are over crowding, boredom and not enough protein in the diet. If you have them on a layer feed, which is usually 16%, then they may do better on an all flock type that is in the 18 - 20% protein range. How big is your coop? You may need to add roosts, or modify the spacing to give them more room to spread out. Some birds like to snuggle, but some demand space. Space is often the issue, and it's pretty common. As said above, they may not feather back out until they molt.

 

[coach723]

If you are mixing your own feed then it's hard to gauge the protein content. There are commercial feeds with higher protein contents, that are complete. Many brands. When I can't find one I will use a grower feed in the 18 -20 % protein range, my birds do much better on that than on layer at 16%. 12 x 12 should be big enough for the coop if they are ranging during the day, but it depends on the layout. How many roosts you have and their spacing, can make a difference. Every flock is different, what works for one group of birds can be too small for another, so you have to adjust to what they are telling you that they need.

 

[LorraineBart]

Hi there,
Diotomaeceous Earth is non effective for pests and is a serious respiratory irritant for you and your birds, please do not use it around them and wear a mask when you clean your coop.
What was your birds diet while they were picking and what is it now?
Its not a matter of what's in the feed but what not in it. The feathers likely won't grow back until they molt but you likely still have picking going on. Can you closer pictures of the areas, please?
You may have to do a complete clean out if the coop, treat for mites and get all new litter and bedding.

When they started picking at each other badly they were on a layer pellet with oyster shells on the side. Now I give them a homemade blend of Oats, corn, blackoil seed, etc etc. And I give them crushed egg shell on the side. If they run out of crushed egg shell we still give oyster shell. A closer pic of the bird with feather loss or what? What do you use for treating mites then?