# Weird chicken problem?????????



## Jered Norris (Nov 30, 2013)

I have three birds which are losing a ton of feathers and are slowly gaining them back and then losing them again. Does anyone have any Idea what might be causing this?


----------



## Southern by choice (Nov 30, 2013)

They are probably just molting. Molt stage is approx 4 months and they lose certain feathers first then others next etc.

How long has this been going on? How old are the birds and breed?


----------



## Pearce Pastures (Nov 30, 2013)

x2 Probably just molting which is totally normal.  Check for evidence of mites and maybe dust them but not much cause for concern likely.


----------



## Jered Norris (Nov 30, 2013)

They have been dusted recently and Don't have mites. They have been doing this for about 5 months. They are all 2 1/2 years old Silver laced wyandotte hens.


----------



## Southern by choice (Dec 1, 2013)

Can you post a pic?


----------



## Jered Norris (Dec 1, 2013)

Maybe but my birds no matter what I can't get them to stand still but I will try.


----------



## Southern by choice (Dec 1, 2013)

they don't exactly have to pose for you.


----------



## Jered Norris (Dec 1, 2013)

Yeah that's true.


----------



## chicken pickin (Dec 2, 2013)

My guess would have been molting also. But it could be possible that you have feather pickers in your flock. Do you have one of a few chickens that       still have all their feathers?


----------



## Jered Norris (Dec 2, 2013)

I have four birds with all feathers.


----------



## Southern by choice (Dec 2, 2013)

without a pic it is all guessing...


----------



## bonbean01 (Dec 2, 2013)

Ahhhhhhh...I had this problem in the spring...eventually just plopped my lawn chair with a big cup of coffee and sat and watched them...yup, those with feathers were pulling out the other's and eating the feathers!!!  Read that meant they needed more protein, so bought the highest protein feed I could and started scrambling eggs and feeding them to the chickens...dusted them all in case of lice...several weeks later decided nothing was working and those with feathers hit the stew pot.  Rest grew back their feathers and no problem after that.


----------



## chicken pickin (Dec 2, 2013)

I agree. After reading that 4 chickens were fully feathered, its probably what I thought to begin with, Feather pickers. I had a few feather pickers in the spring also. I wasn't sure what was going on until I sat and watched them one day and I found a few chickens were picking and eating the others feathers, just like bonbean01 mentioned above. I tried to up the protein and separate the ones that were getting plucked clean for quite some time and when reintroduced the behavior continued. I rehomed them with full disclosure that they were feather pickers and they could no longer be part of my flock. I had a family that took them in.

Molting could be part of the problem but not the only problem. If they have mites or lice they will pick their own feathers out most in the tail/backend area and the neck area.

Pics will help though.


----------



## Jered Norris (Dec 2, 2013)

Sorry my camera is charging and it was doing something weird yesterday and so I took it in and got it fixed.


----------



## kinder (Dec 2, 2013)

I was just reading about molting chickens on BYC under the contest and pic.a new supplement. Something like nutrina molt help


----------



## treeclimber233 (Dec 3, 2013)

Feather picking is what I am thinking too.  Try removing all the birds with all their feathers and see if the others grow their feathers back. Or take one of the "molting" birds and cage it separate and see if the feathers grow back.


----------



## Bossroo (Dec 3, 2013)

For feather picking as chicks ... a red light stops it.     For feather picking as adults ... metal / plastic  blinders works.


----------

