Please help, skin issue...

[Wyorp Rock]

Perhaps the OP can provide us a photo of each of her hens.
@Kat C sorry, no offensive, but we will have to agree to disagree unless the OP shows more photos where clear signs of molting is present. Broken feathers and skin with the feather shaft still intact, in my experience is not an indication of molting.

Molting for the most part progresses in a specific way- feather loss starts on the head/neck, then the back, across the breast, thighs, then finally the tail feathers.

 

[RR Chick]

Thank you so much for your help. They actually molted last winter...I would like to think it is just a molt. But I don't think so. We do have a dominant RRI hen who does mount her litter mate. But I haven't seen her do it with the 3 Asa Browns'. But her feathers look poor and frayed, rather than falling out. They do take dust baths sometimes. They love our compost pile...The RRI's are pretty perfect. Their coop is about 4'x4' and a run about 8'x4 when they cant go into the open. There are 5 hens.

 

[Kat C]

Perhaps the OP can provide us a photo of each of her hens.
@Kat C sorry, no offensive, but we will have to agree to disagree unless the OP shows more photos where clear signs of molting is present. Broken feathers and skin with the feather shaft still intact, in my experience is not an indication of molting.

Molting for the most part progresses in a specific way- feather loss starts on the head/neck, then the back, across the breast, thighs, then finally the tail feathers.

Over 25 years we have hatched and raised over 1000 chickens (I keep a data base). I have seen a huge variety of molts. We have a cross bred flock with about 15 different breeds crossed in. If you have a few pure bred chickens you might not see the variety of molts I have seen. How long it takes for pin feathers to start back in varies greatly too, not only between birds but in the same bird in different seasons. I have right now a hen that has lost most of her back feathers but is well feathered everywhere else, another that has lost lower hackle feathers but well feathered everywhere else. I have another that lost feathers almost over her whole body but still has hackle feathers. I have a blue hen that loses feathers so slowly that the only indication is that the newer feathers scattered all over are darker than the older ones. I will know she is through molt when her color is uniform again. As I said before the scabbing may be from some other hens pecking on this bird as they are won't to do but I am convinced the main cause is molt. However those who disagree with me can offer solutions to whatever they think it is to the OP. I think the solution is time and possibly some separation from the rest of the flock. I have had hens when they have a bad back molt keep having new pin feathers knocked off by roosters and had to confine them until regrowth is well established.

 

[Kat C]

Lice infested chickens images https://www.google.com/search?q=lic...XHlPvbAhUR7awKHbXnD0UQsAQIKA&biw=1536&bih=732
Molting chickens images https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1....0i7i30k1j0i7i5i30k1j0i8i7i30k1.0.Cl5armTGhQ8

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for your help. They actually molted last winter...I would like to think it is just a molt. But I don't think so. We do have a dominant RRI hen who does mount her litter mate. But I haven't seen her do it with the 3 Asa Browns'. But her feathers look poor and frayed, rather than falling out. They do take dust baths sometimes. They love our compost pile...The RRI's are pretty perfect. Their coop is about 4'x4' and a run about 8'x4 when they cant go into the open. There are 5 hens.

Do you have photos of the other hens?
Most days they get to go out in the yard instead of just the run?
Coop space is a bit tight for large fowl, but you can probably manage, I would still observe them at night - if there is quite a bit of picking then adding another roosting bar may help.