[southwestclaire]

Hello fellow chicken lovers, I'm new to this website
I have 3 fab chickens -first time keeper of these brilliant feathered friends!
My lovely 11 month old coucou maran has no feathers left on her chest. She is not broody or showing any signs of ill health. I can't see lice but have powdered her and the other 2 anyway as a precaution. I haven't seen her eat these feathers so am puzzled.
I've given them all extra protein (cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, cat food) as a winter boost. Any suggestions as to what this is and what I can do? The bald patch is pink but no signs of blood spots.
Thanks in advance
southwest claire

PS how are you coping with waterlogged runs?

[grinling]

are they laying? I presume no feathers are lying around. what are they fed on? do you have a pot of grit and a pot of oyster shell. I use 2 garden pots secured with bent piece of wire.
is he area red..if so use purple spray.
are he others picking on her?
do they free range
what did you dust them with?

[mumofstig]

Does she keep poking her head through netting?
One of my daughter's hens does - she always wants what's outside, no matter where the run is moved to - and it rubs the feathers off 

[southwestclaire]

Hello
thanks for your prompt response
Yes they are all laying and I let them feed ad lib on layers pellets. For the last couple of months I've also given them porridge in the morning and a handful of mixed corn in the afternoon. I try to let them free range every day in the garden but in the high winds and rain we have had recently I kept them in their run (approx 25' x 8') and give them cabbage as there's no grass left in the run. I have grit and oyster shell in pots in the run
The others are not picking on her and they have just spent an hour in my greenhouse having a deep dust bath together. No obvious clumps of feathers anywhere.
I used Gold louse powder (for lice, ticks etc) smells of citronella

The bald area is pink not red but I'll buy some purple spray tomorrow just in case it gets worse. 

[southwestclaire]

Sods law
since my first post, I've just taken grain up to the chickens and noticed 8 new feathers in the run so could it be boredom and self pecking. Shall I get an anti pecking spray or will the purple spray deter her enough?
I read on another forum that Sudocrem can be applied to stop the skin getting sore -has anyone else tried this?
thanks for reading this

[grinling]

purple spray should deer.
 might be worthwhile dusting all chickens all over again in a few days, cleaning out house etc.
No heard of gold label and searches on goggle bring up for horses and dogs.
can you put some photos up?

[Beano]

Hi, I'm very interested in this post because I posted late last year with a similar problem. I assumed it was feather mite and could not find anything specifically for it. I put some Frontline SpotOn on the back of her neck and hoped for the best. She is no worse but one of the others is showing the same bald patch and in the same place, starting on one side of the neck and down the chest. Like yours, there is no sign of any soreness or feathers coming through. The only suspicious thing is that the surrounding feathers look a bit rough and chewed.
I've done all of mine this time with Frontline and am hoping that I have stopped whatever it is.
I'll be very interested to find out what happens with yours. Good luck.

[Beano]

Here's my post with photos. Does yours look the same?

The Hen House / Re: Strange feather loss, HELP. Now with pictures.
« on: October 28, 2013, 15:10 »

[loretta cluck]

Just a thought - could it be anything to do with their sleeping arrangements?  Mine have never roosted on perches, and prefer to snuggle into deep shavings on the coop floor...am sure I've read somewhere that if they are constantly laying on their own droppings, this can scorch their skin, and feathers wouldnt necessarily grow back.  I clean my girls out every morning for this reason, and gave up/in with the perches a long while ago.

[southwestclaire]

Thank you all for trying to help me. I'm afraid I don't have the technical know how to send a photo (we have very poor broadband width so a photo would probably not upload anyway)

grinling-the product was Gold Label Louse powder (for poultry & other animals like pigs)
mumofstig -she doesn't seem to poke her head through the netting
loretta cluck -the three sleep together on their perch and seem very happy with this. I clean out the droppings daily and have even removed straw from the nesting box and replaced with shredded paper and small wood shavings as someone thought she could be allergic to straw
beano -I've looked at your photo and the patch of skin looks the same except this is a much larger area underneath her body, all around her breastbone ....... she looks as if she's been plucked (dare I say oven ready!!-awful thought for me and her) You wouldn't know there was any problem unless you hold her upside down. I only noticed this a few days ago when she was having a dust bath.
 
I put some sudocrem on her and this seems to have acted as a good temporary soothing barrier cream. I'll repeat tomorrow. Another suggestion has been vasoline and a drop of tea tree oil so may try this if the situation doesn't improve
I'm grateful for all your replies and comments and hope she grows her feathers back before we get a cold snap-I recall we had some snow early Feb last year

[grinling]

I thought you were refering to the chest area under her crop, rather than a belly area. I had a chook which never had feathers under her and looked quite pink. It never bothered her and layed for many years, dying about 7 years old still with a bald belly.
I wouldn't bother with the sudocream, especially as she or the others might peck it off and eat it and you would need to throw the eggs away.

[Sassy]

Her feathers will not grow back until she is due a moult. This likely to be in the autumn early winter although they can moult at other times.

[southwestclaire]

Thank you Sassy and Grinling
I feel at lot better reading your posts. Being a novice poultry keeper I'm learning all the time and probably worry too much
I treat them more as pets rather than your just 'egg producers' 
anyway fingers crossed she'll be ok
   

[joyfull]

first of all cut out all treats (they dont need them and also you may find you are going against DEFRA's rules regarding livestock) and feed a good quality layers pellets. Also it could be a partial moult.