Please help, skin issue...

[RR Chick]

Welcome to BYC!

Can you post a pic?

What is their age? How many birds total in how much space?

They are almost 3 years old. There are 3 of them. And a second one is starting to get the two spots now. And I must say is loosing a few other feathers too. But no skin showing just showing a little skin on her back.

 

[RR Chick]

Welcome to BYC!

Can you post a pic?

What is their age? How many birds total in how much space?

3 hens, Asa Browns and 2 RRI. They have a huge open area.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do all of them lay eggs?
They have a huge open area, but how much space does their housing (coop) have - square feet?

This does not look like molting to me. You don't have a rooster(?) but you may have a dominant hen that is mounting the others(?) Have you ever noticed if that's the case.

I see broken feathers, scabs, chewed/nipped feathers and bare spots with the feather shaft still intact. Check them over very well for lice and mites-if you find any treat them with a Permthrin based poultry spray or dust.

Observe you flock-do you see any feather picking. Are they excessively preening? Do they take dust baths? Watch them at night while roosting - do you notice if there is any feather picking during that time? Access your feed, how much protein does it have.

Also do you have 1 or 2 hens that are in pristine condition-no feather damage? If that's the case, you found your culprits.

 

[Kat C]

Thanks so much for the response. I feel better! It's been going on for many months, so a slow molt then.

your welcome. Yes some take months to molt. Some a bit quicker

 

[Kat C]

Do all of them lay eggs?
They have a huge open area, but how much space does their housing (coop) have - square feet?

This does not look like molting to me. You don't have a rooster(?) but you may have a dominant hen that is mounting the others(?) Have you ever noticed if that's the case.

I see broken feathers, scabs, chewed/nipped feathers and bare spots with the feather shaft still intact. Check them over very well for lice and mites-if you find any treat them with a Permthrin based poultry spray or dust.

Observe you flock-do you see any feather picking. Are they excessively preening? Do they take dust baths? Watch them at night while roosting - do you notice if there is any feather picking during that time? Access your feed, how much protein does it have.

Also do you have 1 or 2 hens that are in pristine condition-no feather damage? If that's the case, you found your culprits.

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I disagree, while an aggressive hen might make a molt worse she has not mentioned that she has that problem. The pics look exactly like molt as I have shown with some of the links I posted and I have seen the same thing on some of our hens. Since chickens molt at different times we often have hens in pristine condition while others are in full molt. Some of our hens barely show signs when they do molt as they do it so gradually. If she has hens in pristine condition it is unlikely the flock is overburdened with lice and mites. I don't see signs of heavy lice or mite infestation in the pictures. A few lice or mites is not cause to subject your birds to chemical treatments. Our hens may or may not have lice or mites, I don't go over their feathers with a fine tooth comb. If they have them they are not overburdened and their preening and dust baths keep them healthy and comfortable.
Here is one of our hens as she looks right now, we have several others with almost bare backs, and our heavy molter who has molt over her whole body except her hackle.

 

[arrowti]

That's how many of our chickens first start molting. It then goes to their face and they lose feathers around their cheeks and under their face. Eventually they get really bad and lose feathers down their back and under their wings (on the sides, not on the wings). I always think they're injured at first because the skin gets so red but it happens every year. Just keep an eye to make sure no one is pecking at the redness!

 

[coach723]

I really agree with @Wyorp Rock on this one. That just doesn't look like molt to me either. The red skin isn't the issue really, it's the condition of the feathers, the broken and shredded ones, the scabs on the shoulder all point to something else. And I see no evidence of any new pin feathers anywhere. When they do molt hopefully it will look better, but it may just recur if the issue causing it isn't taken care of.

 

[Kat C]

I really agree with @Wyorp Rock on this one. That just doesn't look like molt to me either. The red skin isn't the issue really, it's the condition of the feathers, the broken and shredded ones, the scabs on the shoulder all point to something else. And I see no evidence of any new pin feathers anywhere. When they do molt hopefully it will look better, but it may just recur if the issue causing it isn't taken care of.

Please look at the pictures here https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chickens-loosing-feathers-managing-your-flocks-molt.64576/ Yes they can look like that. The exposed skin is easily damaged and so perhaps another hen is doing a bit of opportunistic pecking. Last year we put our hen who does the extreme molt in a pen to protect her from the roosters. It took several months for her to even start refeathering. This year her molt is almost as extreme but she is doing OK in the general flock and re-feathering quickly.

 

[coach723]

I'm not disrespecting anyone's opinion truly, just stating mine. I've had birds do severe, hard molts, so am aware how it can look, I've had nearly bald birds. Have also had bullying, feather picking, dominant hen and rooster damage, so know how that can look also. Even in the most severe molt, there is usually evidence of pin feathers somewhere, even if it's tiny and hard to find. Maybe there are some that are not showing up in the pictures, on other parts of the body, but I'm not seeing it in the pictures. Evidence visible to me says it's something else. If there is evidence that is not showing in the pictures, I could certainly be wrong. Just an opinion based on what I can see. If pin feathers pop out all over in the next few days, I'll stand corrected, happily. For the moment I guess we'll just agree to disagree, and hopefully the OP will find help and some things to look for from all the differing opinions and that will result in answers for them.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with others that it looks like feather damage. The tops of the wings and the lower back are the usual spots for mounting damage. Many people find that hen saddles or aprons with the shoulder protectors help until the next molt when the feathers grow in. Here is a food article about molting with pictures:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/molting-what-is-it-and-how-to-help/