New Hen with feather loss

[Sam Pritchard]

I just got two hens off a guy on Craigslist. I noticed one of the hens had a lot of feather loss. At first I thought maybe the other one was picking on her- yet I haven’t seen any sort of altercations. From some research it looks similar to maybe feather loss from mites or lice? Yet the other chicken is very healthy, is it possible they’re only going after the one chicken? Let me know what you think this is and how I should fix it. She is laying and seems active/foraging just fine. Feather loss is mainly on her back- a lot of broken feathers and then near her vent/butt there’s a bald spot.

 

[snow5164]

Do you know the breed? My sex links looked like that at about 18-20 months of age . Basically they’re breed to lay no matter how much calcium and protein it takes, so they’re feathers start to break down because they’re depleting their bodies to lay that egg .

Or was there a rooster there ? Could be rooster damage .....


Too many unknowns to really give an answer

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That looks like mating damage to me... the vent location, doesn't look red or irritated that I could see. Does it to you? Can you snap a shot of the front of her legs so we can see the scales?

It is not consistent with what I typically see from parasites...
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

Best was to check is after dark using a flash light, part the feathers down to the skin and look for crawlies running away... just below the vent and on the abdomen.

Some mites only come out to feed and don't live on the birds... again it doesn't look the same, as far as I can tell.

Yes, aside from a mating cock having favorite hens, it is possible for one bird to show more symptoms of things. They don;t have the same immune systems and maybe not the same grooming/dirt bathing habits. If you do treat one, treat both so the other doesn't become a target.

If she is old enough her laying may stop as fall/winter approach and she may molt those feathers and and grow new ones in. But they will not get better until she molts... at least the broken ones. Any that have been pulled completely MAY grow back in now, but may not either. Feathers are actually made from 90% protein and it's amino acids.

I highly recommend using feed with at least 18% protein like a grower, and offering oyster shell free choice on the side if it doesn't contain enough. Otherwise, just don't forget that chickens are omnivores. I personally use 20% protein feed... but work with what is available to you.

Good luck!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Basically they’re breed to lay no matter how much calcium it takes, so they’re feathers start to break down because they’re depleting their bodies to lay that egg .

Calcium may cause bone, or other issues... but protein is what causes feather quality issues for the most part.

 

[Sam Pritchard]

Do you know the breed? My sex links looked like that at about 18-20 months of age . Basically they’re breed to lay no matter how much calcium and protein it takes, so they’re feathers start to break down because they’re depleting their bodies to lay that egg .

Or was there a rooster there ? Could be rooster damage .....


Too many unknowns to really give an answer

These are the only two hens he had I’m pretty sure, but maybe he killed the rooster and sold me the chickens. They’re around a year/year and half old. They’re road island reds.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It's the time of year many start molting. I hope she gets a new set of feathers soon for you.

I too see what looks like mating damage......dominant hens will mount subordinates too.

 

[snow5164]

Up her protein , either with a different food or by adding protein rich treats.

Cottage cheese, tuna, black oil sunflower seeds ..

I just read about a person that feeds wild bird seed during feather growth as its protein percentage is higher and its inexpensive....

Good luck they are beautiful birds

 

[rebrascora]

I would agree that this is most likely mating damage. The back of the neck, shoulders and back are the places the rooster hangs onto with his beak and claws when treading a hen.
You will almost certainly notice some additional feather loss in the next month or so as they will start moulting and they may very well stop laying eggs at that point. Some birds will moult quite discretely and others will have dramatic feather loss and look almost bald.... both are normal. Once they get over that, they will look beautiful with their new plumage and laying will resume, probably at the turn of the year.