Tarred and feathered...my poor bald chickens!

[misidawnrn]

I don't know if I am battling a molt, disease or a really bored chicken feather picker but I thought it was a molt, checked for mites and have seen the chickens pecking each others feathers out and I don't know what to do about it. I sprayed the affected one's bums with Blue Cote and that didn't seem to work so now I painted their baldness with Pine Tar.
ETA they are all a year old. Here are some funny pictures of their tarred and feathered look. If anyone has advice...bring it on!

 

[silkiechicken]

Do you have a rooster?

If they are picking and eating others feathers, what is their diet like? They might be missing protein or some mineral found in feathers.

 

[misidawnrn]

Nope, no rooster. I feed them Laying crumbles and some (rarely now) table scraps. I have also fed them some canned cat food trying to increase their protein. I am at a loss!

 

[silkiechicken]

If I couldn't find parasites... or a single offender (usually the only undamaged bird) to remove... if they were my birds I'd probably put them back onto grower with 24% protein and supplement with oyster shell. The damage that is there now though, will take through next moult to "fix" itself. Which may be not till next spring. A damaged feather won't grow back if just broken.

 

[kittycooks]

I had three hens (all Buff Orphingtons) who molted their back side. It was the oddest thing, but there were no mites or parasites present. They lost their neck feathers next and feathers under their wings last. It took about 10 weeks, but they grew back all their fluff and are laying again. This was their second full molt.