[chickenjennings]

Please can anyone shed some light on this. I have trolled through various website with no luck.
They don't seem to want to come out of their coup, they're off their food and they are losing their feathers on the underside. Can't see any mites...maybe I'm missing something. Does this make any sense?
Would appreciate some advice.

[poultrygeist]

Hi chickenjennings. welcome 

I've had no experience of it myself, but it sounds like they're broody.

What have you got ?
ie. breed, number, age, etc

And presumablt they're otherwise in good health. Combs a good colour, crops not bloated, poo normal.

Rob

[joyfull]

Are they sitting in their nest boxes and if so do they make a growling noise and fluff up when you go near them?

[chickenjennings]

Well there are 3 of them - bantams. I have had them for about a year and they have been good layers - although very broody but I've just had to keep taking the eggs and shooing them out. They are sitting in their nest boxes and they do get cross when I go in there but they've always done that. They aren't the tamest of chickens - I just let them get on with it. I don't see any obvious problems - one of the browner ones seems to be going a lighter colour ?? They've stopped laying - won't come out, don't seem interested in food and they're going bald underneath. The breed - there's one lavender bantam and the other two are a beautiful brown flecked breed - don't remember the name. They're about a yr and a couple of months old.

[Foxy]

Could be going through the moult, mine do get a bit peaky at this time and keep their own company. It takes a lot of efffort to grow new feathers and it can take it out of them. Check carefully, you should see evidence of small new quills growing.