Our first thought was that another animal had been attacking her, but if that were the case, I think she would have bite marks as well. Claire. I go lt them last October. I have put DE in their coop for 2 weeks now. heres my question can I paint the girls with red butts with tree pruning sealer? It has been over a week now and they are still losing feathers? Its not a full grown chicken but it is also not yellow (what i imagine baby chicks to look like) it has feather on its wins and a little bit on its head however the neck has no feathers. I add a solution to their water once a week to prevent this and it has always been successful. Chickens can also lose feathers when they are experiencing high stress levels in general. one Hen appears to be self mutilating by plucking her chest feathers and the eggs laying has pretty much stopped. If you want to know more about chickens, quail, and goats, The Happy Chicken Coop is the place to be! The quills are still on her body, but the feathery part is gone. She is towards the bottom of the pecking order. Losing feathers is a common problem in most chicken breeds, especially exotic species. It sounds like a molt to me. It just started today or yesterday. Hi Lisa, Not exactly the same time, but normally within a few weeks of each other yes. They are as big as a cow salt block. Could this be stress? My 3 yo Speckled Sussex just began dropping lots of feathers from her fluffy rear area (not the neck like a usual molt). Hi Donna, Parasites can cause your hens to lose their feathers and also stop laying eggs. Fortunately, if your rooster is placed with several hens, then this balding wont be noticeable. The molting process is the most likely reason that your chickens lose feathers. In the Molting can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks or more. Feeding a good 16% protein layer feed is the minimum for laying hens. Very helpful article. They are beige or straw colored and are typically found at the base of feather shafts near the vent. While the feather loss from vent gleet is usually close to the vent, it can be anywhere. If that happens, you will have to wait until the chicken molts again and sheds the feather. Any ideas on how th o protect her skin from the sun? If you can cross all of these other feather-loss causes off your list, its probably molt. I like to feed my chickens game bird feed during their molt because it is 20% protein- this is double the amount of protein in layers pellets. Today we were moving our 12 week old chicks into the pen with the others. Hi Maria, How much apple cider vinegar is needed in their water? However it seems even 2 days after separating them, she is still losing a lot of her and I am not sure if it is a stress reaction or molting or both? If your chickens have lost their feathers for over 12 weeks and there is no obvious sign as to why make sure you visit your vet to double-check they are ok. Just one of the diseases that might cause your chicken to lose feathers is vent gleet. You might also consider not letting your birds interact with each other until after 10 am, when most of your chickens have already laid. What could cause this. Molting is seasonal and not something you will have any control over. If your chicken is infested with mites it is common for them to lose their feathers but usually only around the vent area. Her eggs were also fragile. Thanks for the great post keep up the amazing work. Expect the process to take 8-16 weeks. We noticed that the black ones are missing feathers at their tail and under their wings. Is it possible this is just their first moult? In fact, industrial-grade farmers used this common technique to force their chickens to molt and improve the quality of eggs they laid. Hi Linda, I would expect that your other hens start to molt soon Claire. The first year I thought there was something wrong with her and kept treating for mites, but she keeps doing it same time every year. As they are getting the same feed/grit as at their previous owners. Pasty butt. Claire. Nine Reasons Chickens Lose Feathers and How You Can Help Nothing if you want her to hatch her own eggs. (There was about 8 inches of snow at the time this happened.) The adult feathers came in nicely by fall, but during the winter all of them slowly became covered with downy feathers on about 50 75 percent of their bodies. Lets take a look at the most common reasons why chickens lose their feathers and our two favorite cures: The first and most common reason why chickens lose their feathers is the annual molt.. We got her in October last year as point of lay. Would this be lice still? Thank you for any advice! Reasons for Missing Feathers on Backyard Chickens - Grit You will notice when they start to molt, they lose feathers around their neck first. None of my other chickens (8 total) peck her she is about twice the size of all the others so the lack of feathers isnt from continued pecking. If you see dried blood on the skin or if your chicken is exhibiting behavioral changes, like withdrawn or anxious behavior theres a strong likelihood that bullying behavior was to blame. Ensure you displace the feathers with your hands and spray the shafts behind the neck, underneath the wings, and around the vent. Are the barred rocks kept in the same coop as the RIRs? This is a naked neck chicken - there are no feathers on her neck. feather loss, and while you may not be concerned about the fact that your care of until the molt passes, and be patient! reason. No sign of feather growth. Perfectly normal for you to find the occasional feather in the pen You need to give your chickens a bit more space and some distractions. I have noticed over the past 2 days about 10 small feathers (from the rear end of my chickens) in the laying box. I have 3 chickens and they havent yet gone through a morning season. Chickens molt feathers yearly. Consider putting some chicken toys, like lettuce balls, in the coop, and make sure you are providing plenty of space for your birds. Its getting colder and Im worried about them. Plus, where her skin is showing it is bright red. Our article on flock behavior should help: Hi, We have two chickens (Rhode Islands Reds). So in effect it is not a cause but a symptom. Hi Leticia, This causes your birds to stop producing eggs and to lose feathers around its breast, neck, head, back, and wings. Therefore, you need to take action immediately to both prevent and eliminate it. Because preening happens around the year and is a natural behavior, you wont usually notice the results or think that you rhen is losing an abnormal amount of feathers at all. Provide your chickens with a proper diet, and they will likely grow their feathers back in less than a month no need to worry! Often, you will need to euthanize her to put her out of her misery. Just make sure you dont add apple cider vinegar to a galvanized system, as it can cause chemicals to leach into your chickens water supply. Hi Ann, We have 8 laying chickens, 3 are year plus and 5 are new to the flock,