Possible health risks?

[Okaythen]

I went to let my chickens out of their run and noticed that one of my hens had crazy feathers. I thought this could be from dust bathing but I noticed there were also broken feathers. Could she be lacking any vitamins or am I just overthinking ?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi!
Do you have any roosters? Mating can cause feather issues on hens.

If not, do the hens squabble? Could they be overcrowded? Chickens need 4 sq feet per bird in their coop, and 15 sq feet per bird in their run.

What do you feed them? A higher protein feed helps feather growth, so many of us feed our flocks an all-flock, which is usually 18-20% protein versus 16% of layer. It has lower calcium, so good for chicks and roosters too, but the hens will need more calcium, so we put out a separate dish of oyster shell for them.