I have 9 RI Red hens and 2 roosters. They are 1 year old and laying eggs with no problems. In the last month 7 of the hens have lost a significant number of feathers on their back (thats the only place). This has not happened to the roosters. I have seen the roosters jump on the back of the hens. Is this causing the lost of feathers? They don't seem to be sick and they eat scratch and cracked corn with fresh water all the time. The have a 20x40 run and a 20x10 coop. Someone suggested that they are too crowded. Should I be worrying about this or is this natural. First time we have tried raising chickens and have enjoyed. Any help will be appreciated. I am trying to round up the books "Chickens in your backyard; a beginner's guide" and "The Chicken Health Handbook", but any suggestion for the time being would be helpful.
Anonymous, Yes, it is your roosters that are wearing out your hens. One rooster would be enough for 9 hens, and just one would not be so hard on them. Unless you plan to hatch your own chicks--you do not need any roosters! It will take some weeks to grow back their plumage--and it is unlikley that they will as long as the roosters mount them. In fact, without feathers, the skin can become raw, infected and subject to sunburn etc. They should have enough space with your present setup, so blame the roosters! CJR
I agree. Unfortunately for my hens, I am hatching, so they must be exposed to such brutality. I do keep the guys locked up when not needed, though (and separately as they will fight). I do have one fellow who is gentle and causes no stress, so I leave him out.
My chicks are three months old. They are off the starter food and eating some Quickgrow food, the feed store lady told me to get. They have been eating it for about a month. The last couple of days I've seen lots of feathers in the coop and around the yard. Are they ready to molt already and how much of their feathers will they lose? They get plenty of fresh greens and they are out of the coop quite a bit. Hope it is just regular molt. Any advise? Thanks
What do you do when your hen is sitting on eggs.
Don't worry. That sounds perfectly normal. They are just starting to grow in their adult plumage now. They will lose all their baby feathers, but it will take several months and they won't lose them all at once!
What should i do to stop a rooster from crowing.
You cannot--it is his privilege and banner of existence! If you-or your neighbors cannot tolerate it, you must have only hens. (Actually, there is a surgical operation--must be done by experienced veterinary. Hardly worth the expense.) CJR
Thanks Anonymous, I guess that is what is happening. My hens still look good, just a lot of feathers around.I wasn't sure if they would lose feathers this soon. My girls are happy and I really enjoy them.
I have 1 year old Buff Sex-link production hens. They went into a molt back in January after some temperature extremes and still to this day have not gotten their feathers back. The fair is in 3 weeks and my kids can't take naked chickens! We have tried the following: High protein foods including turkey, cat food and now have them on 20%+ pellets. We have oyster shell available, scratch, and have added Vitamin C to their water. They also free range. Any more ideas? We have no roosters, so no one is abusing them, other than one that the dog chased.
By Cjeanr on Thursday, April 29, 1999 - 03:58 pm:
By Anonymous on Friday, April 30, 1999 - 09:36 am:
By Bzb50 on Thursday, May 13, 1999 - 12:05 am:
By Mathieu Williams (Mathieu) on Thursday, May 13, 1999 - 02:18 am:
By Anonymous on Thursday, May 13, 1999 - 06:36 pm:
By Anonymous on Friday, May 14, 1999 - 02:13 am:
By Cjeanr on Friday, May 14, 1999 - 12:11 pm:
By Bzb50 on Tuesday, May 18, 1999 - 09:57 pm:
By KSolberg on Tuesday, July 27, 1999 - 12:11 pm:
There is one hen that has not lost feathers and I think it is because she is a cluck (likes to sit on eggs, not lay them). They have continued to lay eggs the entire time. Thanks.