What is causing these bare spots on all my young (28 wks old) chickens backs in the same place

[ScottsdaleChickens]

Molting? I am such a newcomer and all this is so new to me. We have 5 chickens, 2 Easter Eggers, 1 Rhode Island Red and 2 Ideal whites. The silver Easter Egger started laying at 18 weeks and now our last - the Rhode Island Red laid her first egg at about 26 weeks. The silver easter egger started what looked like a molt on her backside but everything i read say they don't molt until they are a year old. But with our summer and the fact that it is 2020 I didn't think much about it. She continues to lay an egg a day and seem healthy in every way. Now one by one the other hens are beginning to molt in exactly the same place. Everything about them seems totally healthy. Here are some pictures. Help please!

 

[sourland]

Someone in the flock is feather pecking/plucking. Is there one bird that is in perfect condition ? If so that is the culprit.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Either over breeding or a bully is in the midst

 

[ColtHandorf]

My first thought would have been over-breeding, but it sounds like you have all females. I've never had a chicken pick at other chickens that way. If you look closely in some of the photos the general condition of the feathers on the birds doesn't look quite right. Feathers in other areas appear damaged and split. I've never had a mite problem that bad, but is it possible the girls picked up mites? Dusting them and the coop down certainly wouldn't hurt. Extra protein is beneficial when they are growing in new feathers so boiled or scrambled egg is a good treat during that period.

 

[Cee]

Molting? I am such a newcomer and all this is so new to me. We have 5 chickens, 2 Easter Eggers, 1 Rhode Island Red and 2 Ideal whites. The silver Easter Egger started laying at 18 weeks and now our last - the Rhode Island Red laid her first egg at about 26 weeks. The silver easter egger started what looked like a molt on her backside but everything i read say they don't molt until they are a year old. But with our summer and the fact that it is 2020 I didn't think much about it. She continues to lay an egg a day and seem healthy in every way. Now one by one the other hens are beginning to molt in exactly the same place. Everything about them seems totally healthy. Here are some pictures. Help please!

Is there one chicken who isn't missing feathers? If so, she is picking on the others. That happened with my girls. I put pinless peepers on the bully and it worked wonderfully.

 

[BlueBaby]

I'm also here in AZ. with a hot summer. I have 2 pullet's that have recently started laying egg's the past couple of month's, and none of mine have back's that look like that even with having a cockerel that just started getting his hormone's in.

I agree that something is amiss there. If you don't have a rooster or a bully hen that is plucking the feather's off of the other's, then check them for lice or mites.

 

[ScottsdaleChickens]

Is there one chicken who isn't missing feathers? If so, she is picking on the others. That happened with my girls. I put pinless peepers on the bully and it worked wonderfully.

There is one white one whose feathers seem intact. But we go out there several times a day snd have never once seen pecking unless its when they try to all crowd in the same nest to lay their eggs. What is a pinless peeper??

 

[ScottsdaleChickens]

Either over breeding or a bully is in the midst

 

[ScottsdaleChickens]

What do you mean by over breeding. I got them from a store n Phoenix. There are 3 different breeds.

 

[The Happster]

What do you mean by over breeding. I got them from a store n Phoenix. There are 3 different breeds.

Over breeding as in, being mated with too much.
It does sound like you only have females. So it's more likely to be feather picking.
But the claws and spurs of a cockerel will do that damage very easily.