URGENT: Chickens losing feathers on base of tail!

[Onalamaj]

Someone please help me,

My birds have recently started losing feathers near the base of their tail. They are quite young, turning a year old next month. They have been laying a lot of eggs regardless of illness (all my birds have a history of so, the two that died in the past laid eggs on their last day). It started with one chicken, the blond one with the black scab. I didn't think much of it I thought it was just a hawk's failed attempt at dinner since we had a hawk coming around. The hawk has been gone for 2 weeks and now two other chickens have developed the same problem. I'm very worried. I checked for mites but I'm not even sure what to look for. The other two chickens in the flock are fine so far. The ducks are fine. I just don't want this to keep progressing. My grandmother says they have been eating normally and run to greet her. The poop looks normal. They only have become like this recently, in the past week or so. The initial one who lost the tail feathers lost them a month ago. They black chicken is also starting to lose feathers on the back of her neck.

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there, there's a few things that cause this;
What do your birds eat? it could be the protein is too low.
Is the area to small? Chickens pluck each other is there's too many in a small area and they're stressed.
Have you checked for mites?

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there, there's a few things that cause this;
What do your birds eat? it could be the protein is too low.
Is the area to small? Chickens pluck each other is there's too many in a small area and they're stressed.
Have you checked for mites?

 

[Onalamaj]

Hi there, there's a few things that cause this;
What do your birds eat? it could be the protein is too low.
Is the area to small? Chickens pluck each other is there's too many in a small area and they're stressed.
Have you checked for mites?

My chickens have a huge run and a coop meant to house 12 of them (there is only 5 and the 2 ducks). Despite this, they choose to snuggle together almost all day (yes, even in 90 degree summer) unless one goes to lay an egg. I don't know how to check for mites. I looked at them before I took those pictures but I didn't see eggs or mites. They eat Kalmbach Hi-Omega layer feed which says it is 17% protein.

 

[Smileybans]

My chickens have a huge run and a coop meant to house 12 of them (there is only 5 and the 2 ducks). Despite this, they choose to snuggle together almost all day (yes, even in 90 degree summer) unless one goes to lay an egg. I don't know how to check for mites. I looked at them before I took those pictures but I didn't see eggs or mites. They eat Kalmbach Hi-Omega layer feed which says it is 17% protein.

You don’t have any roosters? This looks like what happens when a rooster overmates a hen. Hens can jump onto each other as well to show dominance but I haven’t seen a hen cause damage like this from that.

If it is boredom you can add perches and hides for the hens that are getting picked on to run from any bully hens. Finding out who the bully might be and removing her from the flock for a day or two might also help. What’s the run size in footage?

 

[Onalamaj]

You don’t have any roosters? This looks like what happens when a rooster overmates a hen. Hens can jump onto each other as well to show dominance but I haven’t seen a hen cause damage like this from that.

If it is boredom you can add perches and hides for the hens that are getting picked on to run from any bully hens. Finding out who the bully might be and removing her from the flock for a day or two might also help. What’s the run size in footage?

No roosters. The birds get along fine which is why I don't believe they are doing it to each other. The coop is 8 feet by 5 feet with perches and boxes, they choose to sleep huddled in the corner. The run is probably like 30-40 feet by 50ish feet if I had to guess but they just sit under this small tree together all day.

 

[Smileybans]

No roosters. The birds get along fine which is why I don't believe they are doing it to each other. The coop is 8 feet by 5 feet with perches and boxes, they choose to sleep huddled in the corner. The run is probably like 30-40 feet by 50ish feet if I had to guess but they just sit under this small tree together all day.

Do you have the ability to set up some kind of camera in the run and coop? Is your run covered with something? If it’s a predator then you won’t really know how to stop it until you know what it is. Setting up cameras can help with that. When my hens huddle together it tells me there’s something in the run that is scaring them. For my hens it’s a rat, mouse or vole recently.

 

[Onalamaj]

Do you have the ability to set up some kind of camera in the run and coop? Is your run covered with something? If it’s a predator then you won’t really know how to stop it until you know what it is. Setting up cameras can help with that. When my hens huddle together it tells me there’s something in the run that is scaring them. For my hens it’s a rat, mouse or vole recently.

I'm not concerned about the huddling, they have always done it since the very beginning. And theres frequently one or two hens that choose to keep some space if they feel like it. Surely if there was a predator we'd see cuts and such? Claw and tooth marks?

 

[Smileybans]

I'm not concerned about the huddling, they have always done it since the very beginning. And theres frequently one or two hens that choose to keep some space if they feel like it. Surely if there was a predator we'd see cuts and such? Claw and tooth marks?

I was saying that rats scare chickens into huddling into corners of the run or coop. That’s all I meant. The scabbing on the backs of the hens means to me that something is biting them. If it isn’t each other then it could be a small rodent. Try the cameras if you can.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I agree that the huddling might be a clue. Have they been in the same setup since the beginning or did they huddle under different conditions? If I see my girls gathered togtehr even during the day in a corner its usually because a hawk has been by. Do you have pictures of your setup? What kinds of predators do you have?