Feather Loss
Are your chickens missing feathers? There are many reasons why that could happen. In this article I will talk about the most common reasons and hopefully help you narrow it down!
Molting
Chickens molt every fall after their first birthday. This means, if you got spring chicks, they likely won’t molt their first fall. When chickens molt, they drop their old tattered feathers and grow new ones. One of the most telling signs that your chicken is molting are pin feathers. They can also molt due to stress. If you think your chickens are molting, check out my resources here…
MOLTING HIGHLIGHT ON INSTAGRAM
Feather Picking/Bullying
One of the worst things that can start in a flock of chickens is feather picking. Chickens who are not getting the appropriate nutrients, living in tight quarters, or confined to an environment that is lacking engagement, can turn to picking each other’s feathers out. Once it starts it can be hard to stop.
Malnutrition
Not only can chickens pick out feathers when they don’t have proper food, but they can also just lose feathers because they aren’t given the correct nutrients. Chicken feed is well studied. I get messages often from people who are making a homemade feed and their chickens are missing feathers, ill, or have other issues. Balancing chicken feed can be difficult to do and a viral video does not make a feed expert! Make sure your chickens are on the proper feed for their age and getting plenty of fresh water. Read more about my feeding suggestions in my book or in this article.
Broodiness
When a hen is feeling maternal and ready to hatch out eggs, she’ll stay on the nest for days and days. This is called being broody. Part of preparing herself to keep eggs warm is pulling out chest and belly feathers in order to keep eggs warm and the humidity correct. If you have a hen who has been broody, you will likely see missing belly feathers. Check out my BROODY HIGHLIGHT on Instagram to learn more about broody hens.
Parasites and Pests
Chickens (like any animal) are susceptible to external and internal parasites. Unfortunately, these things can cause feather loss. Actually, that might be a good thing…then you have a clue as to what is happening! Chickens with mites, lice, or depluming mites (the kind that live under the skin and you can see them), might show feather loss as well as red inflamed skin. Mites tend to cause feather loss first around their back end. Depluming mites tend to cause feather loss all over in random areas. Internal parasites (worms) can cause feather loss as well. Usually it is because their vents have become inflamed and vent gleet has set in. If your chickens have droppings stuck to their back side and are losing feathers, it might be time to deworm them. If you aren’t sure, a vet can test their droppings. You can also check out https://pethometests.com to order a send away test kit. (More information coming soon about internal and external parasites).
More info about mites in my instagram mite highlight
Here is a Youtube video all about treating mites and lice.
Here is my article about mites and lice along with images.
Rooster
Roosters are amazing when they protect the flock and keep all the hens in line. But, they can be annoying when they cause feather damage to your ladies! Roosters mate by climbing onto the back of a hen and holding on with their feet, spurs, and beak. This can cause feather damage on the head, back, and wings. If you have too many roosters or not enough hens, this can happen more quickly. I suggest one rooster to every 10-15 hens. I have 30 hens for my rooster but I have one hen who happens to be the rooster’s favorite. She always has missing feathers and red skin so we use a hen saddle to keep her protected. If you have to remove the rooster from the group to protect the hens, he might not like it but it might be needed!
A Few Key Points
Missing feathers don’t come back over night. Even if you remove or fix the issue, it can take a long time to see new feather growth. Usually you’ll see nice fluffy hens again after they molt in the fall.
I am not a vet. I cannot diagnose your chickens via DM. Finding a vet who is good at working with poultry can be very difficult. This website is helpful at narrowing down illness with chickens. It is run by an avian vet and I have found it to be accurate for my needs. If you use the symptom checker and insert feather loss as a symptom, you’ll see there are many other things on the list we didn’t discuss here today.
Give your chickens healthy food, lots of space, things to do, and safety from predators! Those main things will help keep the feathers looking great!
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