hens loosing feathers
- Thread starter dye29
- Start date
rick
Active member
Well it is a fact that more than one cock will fight so 'a few' is clearly wrong.
Also feather pecking is both a habit and a reaction to overpopulation so adding more birds doesn't seem like a good idea. All you can do is try to identify any cause for feather loss, resolve it and wait for them to re-feather.
I'm all in favor of giving a lucky cockerel a home but you can only keep one unless you have large separate runs or acres of free range space and multiple coops. Even on an allotment the noise may annoy neighbors so you should think about that too.
Also feather pecking is both a habit and a reaction to overpopulation so adding more birds doesn't seem like a good idea. All you can do is try to identify any cause for feather loss, resolve it and wait for them to re-feather.
I'm all in favor of giving a lucky cockerel a home but you can only keep one unless you have large separate runs or acres of free range space and multiple coops. Even on an allotment the noise may annoy neighbors so you should think about that too.
Totally agree with Rick, Dye. Two (or more!) cockerels in the same pen will fight, causing injuries and possibly the death of one of them. Also, even only one cockerel will wear away the feathers on the backs and sides of his favourite hens, possibly even causing scratches and injuries - that's why some people make their hens wear hen saddles to limit the damage. So, in trying to improve feather growth on bald patches, you would only be making a different problem of feather loss. As Rick says, adding any more birds is going to increase stress in the flock, and in any case, with your 15 hens all now adult and settled into their pecking order, a new cockerel would have his work cut out to manage them all, and might well end up being bullied himself. The proper way is to set up the cockerel in a separate run and then introduce the hens one at a time. Just putting any single bird into an established flock is a recipe for disaster. More birds also means more mess, and in your case, more rats.
Don't do this. I don't know who your friend was that dished out this advice, but its clear to me that he's not a very experienced poultry keeper! To say that the hens are pecking each other because they're horny, in the middle of winter and out of the breeding season, is complete rubbish.
Don't do this. I don't know who your friend was that dished out this advice, but its clear to me that he's not a very experienced poultry keeper! To say that the hens are pecking each other because they're horny, in the middle of winter and out of the breeding season, is complete rubbish.
rick
Active member
Its very difficult to know what is happening with someone else's flock remotely like this. It can be tricky enough to work out what is happening with our own! But I wonder, can we recap?
You have 15 hens and all, or most, have feathers missing underside. Been like that since last autumn? Did you say that they were growing new pin feathers at one point? Did you see new feathers coming through a couple of months ago?
How old are they? Are they still in lay?
It seems unlikely to me that they would all be pecking each others underside and rear. If they are in lay then that kind of behavior amongst them all would surely have lead to egg/vent pecking and probably cannibalism by now.
If you've seen pictures of ex-battery hens fresh out of cages then that type of bully pecking is more typical I think - bald patches on wings and necks, perhaps backs and tails where birds adjacent to each other on the perch have pecked their neighbors. Scabs on combs too. My Orpington had a patch of skeletal feathers on her wing where my Blacktail had constantly been aggressive with her on the perch. She also had a bare bottom but that was nothing to do with the Blacktail. That was last summers mite problem coupled with having her rear trimmed before I got her because she had got messy. I've had a similar thing with my previous Legbar - both cases it took ages (literally all summer) before they grew new feathers underside but it did eventually happen.
I think that particularly young birds just don't bother with molting and growing new until they are about 18 months and the first lapse in egg laying kicks in. Growing new feathers takes energy, in nature a chicken's life expectancy is short and while they are young they just put all their effort into reproduction (laying eggs) and don't care much about appearances or practical clothing!
You have 15 hens and all, or most, have feathers missing underside. Been like that since last autumn? Did you say that they were growing new pin feathers at one point? Did you see new feathers coming through a couple of months ago?
How old are they? Are they still in lay?
It seems unlikely to me that they would all be pecking each others underside and rear. If they are in lay then that kind of behavior amongst them all would surely have lead to egg/vent pecking and probably cannibalism by now.
If you've seen pictures of ex-battery hens fresh out of cages then that type of bully pecking is more typical I think - bald patches on wings and necks, perhaps backs and tails where birds adjacent to each other on the perch have pecked their neighbors. Scabs on combs too. My Orpington had a patch of skeletal feathers on her wing where my Blacktail had constantly been aggressive with her on the perch. She also had a bare bottom but that was nothing to do with the Blacktail. That was last summers mite problem coupled with having her rear trimmed before I got her because she had got messy. I've had a similar thing with my previous Legbar - both cases it took ages (literally all summer) before they grew new feathers underside but it did eventually happen.
I think that particularly young birds just don't bother with molting and growing new until they are about 18 months and the first lapse in egg laying kicks in. Growing new feathers takes energy, in nature a chicken's life expectancy is short and while they are young they just put all their effort into reproduction (laying eggs) and don't care much about appearances or practical clothing!
Just a quick check - what are actual the dimensions of your run? and could you confirm that you still have 15 hens in it, and how many of these are full-sized hybrid types and how many are bantams?
Not lack of space, then, and plenty of room for a bullied hen to get away to safety - makes feather pecking less likely.
I think you said all of them are affected, is that right? If so, it would seem likely there's some cause in the environment of the run itself.
Actually I think that it's most likely that they're affected by either Northern Fowl Mite or Depluming Mite. See the poultrykeeper website https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/ and read up about these two mites. Possibly chicken lice as well.
The only way that you are going to be sure about what is wrong is to take a couple of the worst affected birds to a vet. A good poultry vet should be able to diagnose mites or lice, either on sight or by taking skin scrapings for depluming mite. Then you'll have to treat the whole flock, of course. As Rick says, we can't give more useful advice to you on here without seeing the birds or where they're kept, but if it doesn't clear up and you're worried, then it would be best to get a professional opinion.
I think you said all of them are affected, is that right? If so, it would seem likely there's some cause in the environment of the run itself.
Actually I think that it's most likely that they're affected by either Northern Fowl Mite or Depluming Mite. See the poultrykeeper website https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/ and read up about these two mites. Possibly chicken lice as well.
The only way that you are going to be sure about what is wrong is to take a couple of the worst affected birds to a vet. A good poultry vet should be able to diagnose mites or lice, either on sight or by taking skin scrapings for depluming mite. Then you'll have to treat the whole flock, of course. As Rick says, we can't give more useful advice to you on here without seeing the birds or where they're kept, but if it doesn't clear up and you're worried, then it would be best to get a professional opinion.
ye i do think theres something wrong like you say ill take few to vets , ive been watching them for past week and there eating each others feathers also mounting one another , ive raised the protein with only layers pellets , meal worms ,sun flower seed, and boiled eggs .
rick
Active member
Sounds like quite a party!
Just out of interest, do you have a lot of weed on your allotment?
Just out of interest, do you have a lot of weed on your allotment?
Hen-Gen
Well-known member
rick said:
Are you suggesting urinary incontinence?
You can buy Bumpa Bits which fit over their beaks so they can eat but not peck each other, but I think it would be best to get a vets opinion before you do anything else, like putting some of them in to another run with the pure-breds. If they did have an infestation it might spread to the other birds. Is it just the hybrids that are missing feathers or are the purebreds affected as well? Do you have 15 hens in total, or are there 13 hybrids, 2 sussex and some extra bantams? Did moving the Sussex out of the main run make any difference to the ones that were left?
just a update yes 13 hybrids only in that run no bantams or anything there all ok in other runs , been to vet today just with one hen and i really wasnt happy to me they didnt have a clue they just said it molting dont worry theyll grow back even though i told them there this years birds ect . so 35 pound down and no difference ,
Thats the problem with vets, many of them are not trained to help with poultry. While I was doing my chickens today I thought 'I must warn Dye to ask the vets whether they are experienced with chickens", not realising that you'd already fixed up your appointment. Most vet practices nowadays have a website and its worth having a look beforehand and also ringing up and asking if you can see a poultry specialist. If the vet told you that a whole lot of first-year hybrids were 'just moulting' they obviously didn't have a clue as hybrids don't do a normal moult until their second winter, they should just carry on laying nearly every day in their first winter. Are your girls still laying, Dye?
Whereabouts do you live? Maybe someone nearby can recommend a good poultry vet. There's also a list of recommended vets on Poultrykeeper https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-vets/ but i'm not certain how up to date it is.
(BTW, has anyone got a good vet to add to this list? If so, please send a message to Tim with the details, to add to the list.)
Whereabouts do you live? Maybe someone nearby can recommend a good poultry vet. There's also a list of recommended vets on Poultrykeeper https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-vets/ but i'm not certain how up to date it is.
(BTW, has anyone got a good vet to add to this list? If so, please send a message to Tim with the details, to add to the list.)
rick
Active member
Pictures will speak a thousand words Dye, so if you can that will help a lot. You probably will need to resize images before posting - 640 x 480 or the other way round will always work.
though I agree, there are some vets that are more familiar with chickens - all veterinary opinions are worth having (though they may be missing some finer points) they have studied bird biology to a greater degree than they necessarily divulge in a consultation. A good bird vet, though, has experience to inform their comments that go beyond the commercial.
In this case the observation that they are this years birds is worth noting. If they are hybrids then they may well have not bothered with re-feathering yet.
... I couldn't held being incredulous when you said they were all mounting each other and whether introducing several cockerels was to be taken seroiusly.
Apparently, peeing on the compost is a good idea
though I agree, there are some vets that are more familiar with chickens - all veterinary opinions are worth having (though they may be missing some finer points) they have studied bird biology to a greater degree than they necessarily divulge in a consultation. A good bird vet, though, has experience to inform their comments that go beyond the commercial.
In this case the observation that they are this years birds is worth noting. If they are hybrids then they may well have not bothered with re-feathering yet.
... I couldn't held being incredulous when you said they were all mounting each other and whether introducing several cockerels was to be taken seroiusly.
Apparently, peeing on the compost is a good idea
chrismahon
Well-known member
Reading back in the post they are hybrids and still laying. Whilst they may have partially moulted or eating each others feathers it will be the case that they can't grow new feathers whilst still laying as they generally can do either one or the other. Increasing the protein level in their feed may help as said but unless the feed is of good quality there is always the possibility that they are deficient in a trace mineral element or vitamin and this is causing their odd behaviour. What pellets are you feeding them Dye29?
still laying random though one day out of 13 hens i get 6 eggs then maybe 8 sometimes 10 but usually 6 . i have them on ansons food seems ok like i said i cut the maize out ages ago and started a month a go with the vitamin stuff you put in water to help them after a mite infest
chrismahon
Well-known member
Not familiar with Ansons pellets Dye29. The best when I left England were Dodson & Horrell (but the pellets were rather big), Smallholder (which we used) and Garvo (which we couldn't get locally).
Guess it's just going to be a waiting game as they may simply be lacking sunshine to produce vitamin D- I gather from the forecasts I see that England has been rather short of sunshine recently?
Guess it's just going to be a waiting game as they may simply be lacking sunshine to produce vitamin D- I gather from the forecasts I see that England has been rather short of sunshine recently?
