Chicken feather loss, advice please :)

[Anonymous]

2 of my one and a half year old chickens have feather loss underneath their body and up the back and one has a little patch on her front... this is not for brooding or when they get new feathers at 1 year old as they have already had that... One has slightly red skin under the tail a bit worried incase its an infection and would be greatful of any knowledge or past experiences and what to do next. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tim]

Hi emmajane,

They could be going through a partial moult - the odd bird will moult during the summer and they do tend to moult for longer / more often as they get older. I have one single hen here who is moulting at the moment on her front and back.

Either that, or she is being pecked by one of the others?? Do they have sufficient space to roost at night / in their run during the day?

You can also check for lice - excessive preening can cause more feather loss. Check between the feathers but also arounf the vent.

It is common to have feather loss on the back / saddle from cockerels and some loss on the sides from spurs but not normally the front and you don't mention a cockerel.

 

[Tim]

Good advice although personally, I disagree with beak trimming unless it is for an overgrown beak. Trimming beaks when birds are young is still done in many commercial hatcheries where hens are going to be kept in cages but I believe Compassion in World Farming are trying to get this banned.

There are a number of possibilities of what could be causing the feather loss - a full or partial moult is my first guess but it could be lack of protein (diet), boredom in a small run, overcrowding, heat stress if around the tail area, pushing their heads through a fence to get grass or something as simple as that.

It can be just one bird pecking the others (usually the one with all her feathers) - if so, she should be removed until all of the others have regrown their feathers.

There are anti-peck sprays - they seem to work (whilst applied and fresh) and if there is one culprit, I have seen people use what they call 'bumper bits' on the beak - these allow the bird to eat and drink but they can't close their beak fully to pull out feathers.

 

[Anonymous]

hello,
Im not really sure if this is the right section. this the first time i have ever tryed any kind of websit.
anyways my best friend own's two giant black jersies (i probably have spelling wrong). Flo and alice. she got them back in late apirl or early may of 2009. they were the last two. flo has always been normal size and alice is well i would say a runt. But when we got them we figure her size was due to fact of them coming from a chicken farm. during the winter time, we had started to notice that alice was missing some feathers from under her wing.
See, we live in alaska and i would have to say they are very well taken care of, if you wanna compare to some others that we have seen. Yes, they have a coop and kept out side. they have two heat laps and a heated water dish, so when it get cold they still get to be cozy. they have a run that connects and its about 12leight` by 4wide` by 4`high that has a wood fince that runs one leight(nabor yard). the ruff is coverd 3/4 of the run. during the green months we have they get taken out and placed in a modified dog run that is 20 by 20 and 6 high. it has different types of grass (which we seeded with before she got them). they are spoild to say the less )
sorry, i got ahead of myself. we built the coop and run's together, my best friend is like a mom to me.
Alice like i said, still looks much like a tipical runt. Just that the missing feathers have expanded to her chest. its gotten really bad. Im not sure how to teel if it's bordom when they not in big run or is bulling is cause of stress or if a protein problem. i know this is long , i just wanna get across that we do really love them girls. Can anyone help to be able to narrow down the problem? thanks

 

[Davidd]

Hello and welcome, -chickens lose feathers for various reasons, some feather loss is normal during the year- especially towards the end of the year as the old feathers are nearly 12 months old before they are replaced by the bird moulting out. is she rubbing her feathers on something? Can she get her head through the run? What are you feeding them? Have you checked them for lice? Have you seen the other chicken pecking at her feathers? Has she moulted yet? It could be any of these things I would try and see if you can narrow it down- check for lice, watch them in the house/run etc. Hope you find the cause
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

thanks,
truethfully, i haven't been around for a few months. i work 2 full time jobs and a 3rd parttime. anyway my best friend is trying to pay attention to whats going on but i stoped by her place to day n saw for myself how bad it has gotten.
wow. but only thing i can think doing, set up some camrahs in the coop and attached run to hopefully catch some clue as to what the issue might be. i apreciate any feed back so i know things to look for when i get my chance to review it. which it will take me two days to find time to hook up and another two days more till i can look it over. just thats alot of time to review.. yah, i no its exteme but like i said nothing is to good for her girls .
bty i did go back in check them for lice and mites, all clean. i did amajor spring cleaning in their coop last month, thats when the snow left. the only really good news to report on going and handling um was that they still do there greeting for me. i put my hand down n they clime up to my shoulder which drivesed their mom nuts cause they only do that for me :lol: they will sit on her shoulder but thats if she sit :lol: down. i no thats not fair but i think its soo asume. thou they now way a bit more thay when they start doing it. wrist goes to sleep if they sit too long.