Why is my Chicken Missing Feathers

At some point, your chicken will be missing feathers and you may wonder what the causes are. My thoughts immediately jump to illness but there are other causes. Here’s my list of the most common reason why your chicken may be missing feathers. 

Molting

Every year adult birds go through an annual molt. This is normal. Their body is replacing old broken worn-out feathers with new feathers just in time for Winter. 

To aid in feather reproduction, offer treats high in protein. Check out my blog post for what we give our girls during a molt. 

Broody

A broody hen is one that will hatch babies. Her hormones have kicked in and she will sit on the eggs for 21 days. Many broody hens will pluck out their breast feathers to generate more heat for the eggs. 

There’s not much you can do for a broody. You can try to break her, but we’ve been pretty unsuccessful. Last year, we got Hazel babies to raise. 

Bullying

This happens in just about every flock. There’s always a chicken at the bottom of the pecking order. Ours is Clara. She’s a very gentle and sweet bird and also submissive to a fault. The other birds peck at her beard, cheeks, and chest feathers. 

Other areas that birds may peck are the vent and top of the head. 

If you can identify the bully, you can quarantine for a few days then reintroduce. This will disrupt the pecking order and knock them down a few spots. However, with Clara, all the birds pick on her so this doesn’t work for us. 

Parasites

Common areas for parasite infestation are the vent area, under the wings, and neck. If your bird is missing feathers and there is no bullying going on, this may be the cause. Some parasites are hard to see. If you are unable to see any and can’t identify any other reasons for the feather loss, you may want to treat anyways. 

Check out my blog post on what to do for parasites. 

Mating injuries

Some roosters will have a favorite hen and no doubt she will show signs of mating injuries and loss of feathers on her back. You could separate the rooster from the hens for a few days plus adding a hen saddle can help. That’s really all I know to do for this. 

Predator

If your bird is the victim of a predator attack and they are lucky enough to get away, you will see feather loss. Poor Trudy was attacked by a hawk (probably a young one) last year but I think she was too heavy to be carried off. 

Also, mice will bite your birds or pull the feathers out while they are sleeping. They will use them to line their nest or since feathers are high in protein, they will eat the feathers, if food is scarce.

Living conditions 

Unclean or wet living conditions can wreak havoc on your bird’s feathers. During a rainy period sometimes it’s just impossible to keep a clean and dry coop. You could add extra logs, tree branches, chairs, or anything where they can get up off the ground. 

Poor Nutrition

If your bird is not getting adequate feed, this could cause feathers to break off or even cause them to molt early. Large factory farms will withhold feed causing stress for the birds which results in forced molting. This way they can plan and control when a bird molts, which affects egg production.

Also, don’t give too many treats and make sure you are using a high-quality chicken feed. 

Vent Gleet

Vent Gleet is swelling of the chicken’s cloaca. This can be caused by parasites, fungus, bacteria, yeast and even stress. The most common sign is a milky, white discharge from the vent and it will probably be stinky. You may also see poop clumped around their bottom. With all this going on in the vent area, they tend to lose feathers. 

I haven’t had to deal with vent gleet but Trixie, our Buckeye, had pasty butt as a chick. She still tends to have poop clumped to her tail feathers. I put apple cider vinegar in the water once a month to help restore the PH in their gut. I can’t help but wonder if there is a connection. 

What Can You Do To Help Your Birds

Giving high protein treats is always a good idea, just use in moderation. If your birds aren’t laying, you could offer meat bird (broiler) feed or chick starter which is higher in protein. 

Some birds will replace lost feathers right away but if they are laying, it may not be until their annual molt. 

If you can see their skin this will often trigger the other birds to peck that area. I love BluKote for this, as long as there are no open sores. It turns the skin (or anything it touches) blue. Sometimes the injuries can be severe and you may need to intervene and quarantine. Check out my blog on wound care.

As your chicken’s feathers grow back, the new feathers, called pin feathers, can be quite painful. They are also full of blood. Be sure and pay close attention for any pecking going on. It could get brutal pretty quickly. As you know chickens love blood. 

It would be nice if our chickens could tell us what the problem is and how to fix it. But for now, it’s time to put your investigator’s hat on and figure out the reason why your chicken is missing feathers.