I have a backyard flock, including a 2.5 year old wyandotte whose feet are pictured below. Note the nail overgrowth and raised scales. She's the only bird with overgrown nails, everyone else's are a much more normal length. Their run is large and they spend plenty of time scratching.
I went...
Welcome to BYC! If you want to figure out the breeds of your chickens, here's a nice guide: https://starmilling.com/poultry-chicken-breeds/ You could also post photos, I'm sure many folks on BYC could ID them :)
@SmiYa0126 has a great idea. When you are looking at animal rescues, they will often call this a barn cat program, although the non-profit in my area calls it their "working cat program". It's a great thing to do since you would be giving a home to a cat that might otherwise be put down.
Are these photos all of the same chicken? I don't see anything amiss with the feathers of the first chicken. The missing patches in the other two photos could be normal from growth, since young chickens grow faster than their feathers. It's possible that there could be some feather picking going...
Yes, it is normal for a broody hen to pluck out feathers to better warm the eggs with her body heat. The skin is likely somewhat irritated, but I wouldn't worry about it unless she gets much worse or has open wounds.
Hi @BDutch, the shavings are to absorb droppings, she isn't using them to nest and has spent most of her time trying to get out. I'm not adding a roost since she will be go back to the coop at night so I don't risk a raccoon trying to grab her at night. I know it's better to keep her in broody...
I finally gave up on my 'milder' attempts to break my GLW, Betty White, of her broodiness, so it is off to broody jail for her! If only I had known she would go broody before getting some new chicks in May, but I will keep it in mind for next summer to see if she might adopt some chicks.