Selfsufficientish.com

Hello!

My two older girls (both over a year old) have lost their feathers underneath on their abdomen. One is quite raw with it. They're not sitting on the nest for hours on end nor is there any evidence of mites and they're both laying normally - not every day but still often enough. I'm wondering if they might be going into their first moult? Their sister Margo died a few weeks ago, and two newbies joined a couple of weeks before that... could it be stress? Both of them?

Here's a couple of pics, hope someone can help


This is Jerry, the one with the raw patches


And this is Barbara, no red raw areas

ETA - just had a quick google read... Is it likely that they're bored? I have noticed feathers under the perch they both sleep on. Someone suggested that they might be too bored first thing in the morning waiting to be let out.
We had Margo in our bathroom for 3 weeks when she had a prolapse vent and she started to peck at her feathers during that time.
Do I simply need to let them out earlier?

Looks like they are moulting, especially as they are over a year old now.
Although they normally stop laying totally when they moult, I have a very bedraggled hen that is well into her moult and she still lays pretty much every other day.
I wouldn't worry too much unless they start moping in a corner with hunched shoulders.

Might be an attack of the feather peckers

I have a big fat bluebelle which leaves the other one bare during the spring and summer months although leaves her alone once the weather gets colder. I almost never see her doing it either, so you might have to watch for a long time to catch who's doing it, if that is the problem.

Hmmm thanks for your thoughts both of you, I think you're more on the money Keanie - peckers but doing it to themselves rather than each other.
The majority of feathers I've found are in the hen shed so I'm waking up extremely early now to let them out before they start to get bored!
If this doesn't work, will have to figure something else out (assuming it's not moulting!!!)

I have one who looks like that - she isn't broody but likes to sit in the nest box occasionally even if she isn't laying. That's where they peck their own feathers out to keep eggs warm, so they may be a bit of broodiness about them even if they don't develop into full blown broodiness - if that makes any sense.

Thanks MMM!
It's funny you should say that... Barbara (the magpie hybrid) went back to the nest box after I'd taken her egg away a couple of ago. She didn't stay there long thankfully!!
Fingers are being tightly crossed that no-one goes broody just yet!