Mr luvpies got a problem - 4 birds and no cock(erels)

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Sorry i'm alone with the babies far too much for my own good ;-D

so robs girls aren't looking too good, last year they went nearly completely bald, during which time we treated them for every infection under the sun it seemed and nothing made any difference. They have a very large pen with different levels thanks to tree logs and bars for them to hop onto, in fact they have to go off floor to be able to get their water. They have food hung for them and pellets and corn thrown on the floor for them to scratch at, floor has a straw covering. Now they only re grew their feathers when they stopped laying, literally about 48 hours after the last egg came the first feather. And as soon as they were all laying again they started loosing feathers again. The coup is clear of any mites and they haven't been caught feather pecking so what could it be?

someone suggested it could be the lack of a male that could cause the problem, but having one is not an option because of where we live.

help him sort his girls out, it's starting to look like we are keeping oven ready chickens

thanks x

[JulieSherris]

OK, so I've not had this problem, but I called a man who might know & he had a few nuggets of advice.....

It could be that they need a touch more protein in their diet while they are laying - it depends on how old they are, or what breeds, but some older hens benefit from extra protein anyway.
This can be done by giving them a tin of cheap cat food every other day - or cat biscuits.
Also, liver is very good for them - chop it, feed it raw, they'll love it!!
Prawns, tuna, peanuts, chopped hard boiled eggs, anything high in protein, whatever you can get your hands on cheaply - just try it for a week or two & see if it makes a difference.

Also, apple cider vinegar in the water & poultry spice, or make your own added to their feed.

You can also try a milk supplement - I'm off to look for recipes now, but natural yoghurt is good for a starters!