Our chickens are going bald. Causes?

[sweetpea03]

I thought our chickens were molting, but seeing how some of them have had bald patches for 4+ months, I'm guessing something else is going on. The only hens that seem to be affected by baldness are our barred rocks. I'm assuming the cause might be pecking, but I'm not certain. Most of the girls are very sweet and docile, and I really haven't seen them attacking each other.

Oh, they are free ranging hens from sun up to sun down. I've looked for mites, but I haven't seen any.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, are there any treatments that would help their feathers to grow back more quickly?

 

[7 Biddies]

Do you have roosters? They will get a little rough when mating, sometimes, and you'll see feathers missing from the hens' backs. If that's the case, they sell vests/aprons to protect the hens.

 

[sweetpea03]

We do have a few roosters, but they are young (14 or so weeks) bantams. I know they can try to mate with the big girls, but as of now the girls run from roos like...chickens!

And their baldness started before we got the roos so I'm pretty certain they're innocent.

I should go out and take some pictures. Maybe that would help.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Are they bald-bald, or are the feathers broken off? You're right, pics might help.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, pics would help.

When you look for creepy crawlies, look near their vent. They like warm places.

 

[sweetpea03]

Here are some pictures of two of the hens. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to take their picture! Guess my camera looked a little like a treat!



Please disregard the "white" chicken in the background. She was a sick little girl a week or so ago, and we thought she wasn't going to make it. Somehow, she made a complete turn around and is doing great. Now she just needs a bath!




Some have missing feathers around their necks like the two pictures above. And many of them have bald heads.



It really looks like the result of rooster, but not this time. Maybe just an aggressive hen.

 

[Happy Chooks]

The first one looks like molting. The 2nd looks like picking.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I'm not sure what the loss of feathers on the neck is from, I've never seen it happen. The feather loss on the back is definitely picking. If you see blood drawn, inspect the other hens' beaks for traces of blood. If you find it, think about investing in some Peepers. Work like a charm. http://www.randallburkey.com/Pin-Less-Peepers-100-Pkg/productinfo/10097/