In which case you can use the tree pruning sealer as discussed in the article to find the bully! Hi Amy, Lice and chicken mites are common causes of Chickens have a delicate respiratory system and they shouldnt inhale it or it can cause serious problems. One is very friendly (seems to be the dominant one) and the other has always been frightened. I think that I may have a mite problem in my coupe. Kristi Cook. Ive literally just seen this. However, in most cases, feather loss is completely normal and doesnt need any intervention from you. Your email address will not be published. Yes it definitely sounds too early for them to have their first molt- this normally occurs when they around 18 months old. The infection has spread a lot and it needs immediate attention. Make sure you rule out all of these other potential causes, but then work through the environment of your birds to make sure you arent missing anything. Have you noticed this at all? How do you check them for mites or lice,what dose it look like, what is the mixing ratio for putting viniger in hens water supply. I have noticed slowly the egg production declining. They are unaware of the chicks (raising them in the garage until 6 weeks). what kind of dusting powder do you need to get rid of mites? let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() Since they have been moved to their new home, about 1 month now, I do not see any changes no worse and none better. If you dont already know, the vent is the place on your chicken where it expels both waste and eggs. Claire. In rare cases, rodents may go after your chickens. The first obvious reason why your chickens are losing feathers around the neck is chickens molting or mites. While its usually harmless, overmating can be dangerous in that roosters will pull so many feathers from the hens that they will be completely bare on their backs and chests. Hi Kelly, Could this be the cause? We received 11 Barred Rock hens, fully grown and laying eggs. See no sign of that happening now. No sign of feather growth. Remember that chickens will have varying requirements for protein depending on the following factors: Check the formulation of your chicken feed to make sure it has the recommended amount of protein for your chickens at their specific stage, gender, activity level, and other conditions. it is so close to Fall that I was first thinking that they were just molting but the timing made me wonder if it was stress. If you think your chicken might have vent gleet, it's important to take her to the vet as it can be a serious infection. She has stopped laying eggs this year and is only 2 years old. Hi, I have a Barred Rock. Hi Joy, Is there something I can do to get them to stop pulling out the new growth? Claire. At my house there is a chicken named Ginger, and her feathers are twigs. In some cases, it may take up to a week or more. It has a mixture of play sand, log ash and diatomaceous earth. DDW, I know my questions have been published, but no one has replied. Hi, I have a flock of 30 birds of mixed ages, the oldest established flock is nearly 12 months old. My chicken was attacked an her feathers never came back on her neck. If you have a rooster, overzealous breeding behaviors might be to blame for some feather loss. Is it too soon for them to be molting at this age? My other 2 chickens seem fine. She could also have parasites like lice and mites. Strangely, she hasnt starting laying eggs yet, even at her age, so I cant tell if shes molting from decrease in egg production or not. I isolated the chicken with missing feathers and dont know what else to do. (There was about 8 inches of snow at the time this happened.) She has lost her tail feathers and several underneath. I am guessing the weight loss is a result of her previous situation, but wonder why it just started a few days ago. I have a chicken that the others in the flock bullied. I have what I thought was a brooding chicken, wont get out of nesting box unless I take her out, picks and breast feathers (which is bare) and hardly eats or drinks, but has been in there about 3 weeks. Surprisingly, roosters can be the cause of chickens losing their feathers as well. Separate the rooster for a week and see if they grow back. Is there anything I can do to keep it healthy meanwhile? It could well do- I know sometimes when my girls get stressed they pull their own feathers out Feeding a good 16% protein layer feed is the minimum for laying hens. Thank you so much, How long have they been with you for. She is in a clean dog cage but she keeps getting it dirty with poop. feed and water stations that are not evenly distributed. I dont think they have mites. It sounds like she either has parasites or was attacked. In fact, industrial-grade farmers used this common technique to force their chickens to molt and improve the quality of eggs they laid. You may notice that your chickens grow back their feathers slowly, with large bare patches seemingly glaring until they are refeathered. Raising Goats The Complete How To Guide, weve written about this extensively here, introduce the chickens to each other properly, there isnt enough room in their coop or run, Chicken Molting: What Is It and How to Fix It, How to Introduce New Chickens to Your Existing Flock, Chicken Molting: What Is It and How to Help Your Hens With It, The Best Chicken Harness: What to Know Before Buying, Sebright Chicken: Silver, Golden and Care Guide, https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/chicken-molting/, https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/the-definitive-guide-to-keeping-chickens-in-winter-chapter-five/, https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/7-reasons-why-your-chickens-stopped-laying-eggs/, https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/the-pecking-order/, The Ultimate Guide to Raising Coturnix Quails. I have 3 hens. Now I have her quarantine. Now I was wondering if that was just because it was already dead and not getting any nutrition. I have 2 chickens out of 20 chickens with their feathers all gone on their vent area. Expect the process to take 8-16 weeks. Hello, a chick/chicken might even be a rooster arrived at my door earlier today. Any ideas on how th o protect her skin from the sun? Find full disclosure here. Molting is seasonal and not something you will have any control over. If you have an extreme feather-pulling rooster in your flock, you may need to separate him or cull him altogether. Perfectly normal for you to find the occasional feather in the pen Hi Claire, I have 5 hens, one of them is losing feathers around its neck area,I havent noticed any bullying etc, in fact they all get on fine, the hen is feeding and drinking well and still laying. environmental conditions such as: Follow the best guidelines for raising chickens to ensure that your bird is not freezing, overheating, thirsty, or hungry. It looks like feather picking which can become a habit, and possibly lead to cannibalism. left on for too long), Too few feeders and drinkers, or I dont have a rooster. Like any other animal, your chickens might get bored if you dont give them enough space or activities. I have a chick not even 2 months old that is bald between the wings. Should I treat these spots? Just when they all seemed to be all feathered up they are molting again. The easiest vent gleet treatment is to take your hen to the vet. A chicken's feathers are what protect its skin and helps keep the chicken warm. The backside of her is missing feathers and the other chickens often peck at her. However, you may be alarmed when you notice feathers around the coop. Molting is a natural process that happens to every chicken at one point or another. thank you so much. Thanks. Its getting colder and Im worried about them. It sounds like a molt to me. Because preening happens around the year and is a natural behavior, you won't usually notice the results or think that you rhen is losing an abnormal amount of feathers at all. I would not treat for lice or mites unless you actually see them. 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. Claire. This does sound very strange and again sounds like one of the flock members might be bullying her! It may not display this or other websites correctly. Step 1. And if she is doing it to herself, what could be the cause? Worms Claire, are chickens have missing feathers on their backs just like shown on your second picture. Claire, Hi Lisa, Is this normal and do I just wait it out? Seems too early to moult and Ive one whos been setting for a month now. And learn how warm the coop gets depending on outside conditions to avoid overheating your birds. If you still have any lingering doubts about feather loss, the following should help clear them up. Maggots infest the dead skin cells of the chicken. You may need to do this several times. I did just get 3 new chickens added to the flock that seem to be doing fine. Sounds like she certainly could be being bullied. They are about 9 weeks old. Finally, during a molt, you will notice that the number of eggs they lay will greatly reduce and most likely stop altogether. Molting is more likely if its fall and the days are getting shorter. Shes losing tons of feathers, although we know her nutrition now is great and shes safe. They were laying well , then all of the sudden it reduced to half the amount of eggs. This can get susceptible to maggots. Make sure they are comfortable, checking the run and the coop to make sure there are no hazards present. If you notice maggots in and around the vent area, then it can be at the advanced stage. It can be a frightening sight, walking out towards your chicken coop and seeing feathers scattered everywhere. He is now king of the coop, but with terrible tail feathers, his body has cleaned up, with care & good food. So in effect it is not a cause but a symptom. She does seem to be the roos side kick but I am mildly concerned. You may be able to put a chicken jacket or saddle on your bird to protect her from sunburn and excessive picking from other chickens. This causes your birds to stop producing eggs and to lose feathers around its breast, neck, head, back, and wings. My 3 yo Speckled Sussex just began dropping lots of feathers from her fluffy rear area (not the neck like a usual molt). This will mitigate the damages caused by aerial predators and reduce any feather loss that results. This will make sure that no one hen is getting too much attention, and ti will also limit fighting between aggressive roosters. She doesnt seem bothered it but if there is anything we could do? Molting is a process that is highly variable depending on the individual chicken, so while some birds will go through it quickly, losing feathers for only a couple of weeks, others may molt for months. , but not much change. Just make sure your chickens are well taken Molting typically happens about once a year, starting at around 18 months old. Sometimes they will even pull the feathers to be used in building their nests! Boredom is another common cause of bullying behavior, as is overcrowding. If you do choose to apply diatomaceous earth, make sure you do so in a well-ventilated area preferably outside. If you're using the concentrate, follow the instructions that come with the bottle and mix a generous amount of it in a bucket. They all start with a swolen vent with a loss of feathers. Claire. Inspect your chickens by pushing apart the feathers to look for the cause of the loss. Thanks for the great post keep up the amazing work. Claire, Hello, I hope you can respond but I have noticed on my chicken/hen, on her belly she is missing some feathers but I dont know why. You will easily notice that she is broody because she wont leave the nesting box and rarely eat. I have never seen them pecking their feathers or picking on each other. You will need to medicate your chickens for this disease, and it can be spread among the flock. The other girls are ok. Isnt July a bit early for a true molt? Another indication that your chickens have mites is the color of their combs and wattles, as well as the skin around their eyes. Weve put vaseline on her, but she is eating it. Keep a large, easily read thermometer inside the coop at all times. I do have a roo who has picked her has her as his favorite but Teanie just keeps losing more and more feathers. They look soft and fuzzy. When we moved in, we were getting five eggs a day. 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. Still no eggs. I dont have a rooster. The most common reason for a chicken losing their feathers is the annual molt; however, this isnt the only reason. My chicken has lost a 3in wide strip of feathers from her breast to her bottom. Im in Queensland Australia near Brisbane and one of our chooks has lost feathers around her bottom. It is most commonly seen in hens. Hi Leticia, I have given them calf mana and molting muffins and dusted them with DE. However, I wouldnt rule out the stress and loneliness causing this. Corn, scratch or table scraps should be very limited, or they will not be getting proper nutrition or enough protein. Could just one chicken have mites/lice? We noticed this about 10 weeks ago & started putting diatomaceous earth powder on her, in the coup & brooding boxes. They have also been known to pull skin, which can cause injury and even death. I thought this is what is happening until today I noticed the bald areas have small reddened areas. If this continues you can either isolate her or the bully and see if her feathers come back. Their coop is small for 9 but I would think that the sides would bald. I have a black Australorp hen that is almost 3 years old, every summer she has molted to the point of becoming absolutely naked, then she takes several months to regrow her feathers. She wasnt dehydrated, since my girls have learned to eat the snow, but she was starving and weak. Still eating laying pellets plus corn and sorghum. A broody hen wants to hatch their own chicks, and she will lay on top of its eggs all day long. Any thoughts? One particular poor little hen (she is a bantam I think) was the favourite for a much bigger cockerel and his mounting caused an awful lot of feathers to be ripped out, which dont look to be growing back. Vent Gleet -Vent gleet is also known as a fungal infection of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, If a predator is lurking nearby, you might not know it, but your chickens certainly do. Any suggestions?? I live in the uk, have 3 hens (this is their second summer on earth) and one of them has lost a line of feathers from right underneath her belly, between her legs. Ive been watching her closely and she seems very scared of 2 of them she runs fast past them and away when they get close. One of our silkies was attacked by a dog. Now I know she didnt have parasites or any illnesses. Broodiness is not dangerous, and is actually quite a miracle to witness if it happens in your chicken coop. Do this and if you still have problems then let me know One supplement we do give our chickens is ginger powder, and weve written about this extensively here. It is very nice to read your site, thank you very much for your work, its great! Claire. I treated their coop for mites and parasites but I know there may be mice coming into their coop. Any idea on what could be causing this? Chickens will bully each other if they see any weakness in the flock at all. Hi Taryn, do you know what is wrong with her? Hi Maria, In both cases, you can use poultry dust from your local hardware store to remove the parasites. Any other ideas or suggestions as to what we can do/change? out in the nest box for quite some time, broodiness might be to blame for her They are most active at night so if you believe your chickens have been infested check your chickens during nighttime on the areas that have soft feathers such as around . You can mix this in with their water supply to give them a boost of minerals and vitamins. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. What should I do? Evening you consistently ensure a healthy, high-protein diet for your chickens, any change can accidentally trigger a molt or loss of feathers. Please send us some photos and we will do our best to help Our 14 reasons your chicken is losing feathers are molting, preening, mating, broody hens, vent pecking, bullying from other chickens, insect infestation, rodents, fungal infection, dietary . I would recommend you read our molting article to make sure If you have any idea please tell me, and we dont have a rooster. just today She has spent almost all day in the brooding box. Don't turn the light off and on at various times, which can cause further molting. I have diatomaceous earth that I sprinkle around their coop, and where they take dirt baths. Use poultry dust or organic treatments such as garlic juice. One of my hens is losing her tail feathers and has one left. Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures, What is wrong with my chickens feathers? Ive previously written about the importance of giving your chickens good quality layers pellets and what happened when we stopped giving our chickens pellets. Hi Sammilee, Luckily, you can do a few things to help encourage your chickens feathers to return more quickly. Sounds to me like it could be their first major molt as they are around 18 months old now. 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.. As the name implies, these chickens have no feathers on their neck, and you'll see no signs of the feather follicle from which the pin feathers emerge. We separated her and wormed her and started her on soluable Tylan in her water. She appeared very lethargic today. What is going on? You can look at the label and specific formulation of your brand to determine whether your chickens are getting the protein they need. They are beige or straw colored and are typically found at the base of feather shafts near the vent. In the case of vent gleet, you can try to dip the affected chicken in a . What could cause this. So, during the fall, when there is a drop in the number of daylight hours, you can expect your chickens to start their molt. They are around 16 months old. Yes June is very early for a molt so Id be surprised if it was this early. One of my hens was the roosters favorite and she lost a lot of feathers. Let us know in the comments below what methods youve used to help your chickens during their molts. High in protein to help chickens grow back their feathers. Hi Brian, Is she has only recently lost them I would clean the coop out and treat them all with a dusting powder. If sohow many chickens per square foot? Feeding occasional high-protein treats like mealworms can also help speed up the molting process. Has the feather dropping stopped now? Youll only see this in the hens, because roosters will be the culprits behind this behavior. Bright red, the same color as her comb. It's not a molt, as these are less than a year old. I have noticed over the past 2 days about 10 small feathers (from the rear end of my chickens) in the laying box. The other 2 are fine. If you notice youve had the same hen hanging I have had 3 hens die in the last 3 weeks. I have 34 chicks but only one chick is loosing feathers after suffering mosquito bites. We have 8 laying chickens, 3 are year plus and 5 are new to the flock,
