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Yes. hens can lose feathers for several reasons. Molt is a time when all chickens lose and renew their feathering. Hens can lose feathers from mating and from pecking by other chickens during roosting hours. Chickens who are sick can also lose feathers. Feathers will grow back.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoI am assuming you are not referring to the saddle area on the back of the hen. If the feather loss is restricted to one area it is usually around the back of the neck and just near the tail on her back. If this is where the feather loss is then what you are seeing is a favorite hen of an amorous rooster. If the general overall condition is feather loss including flight feathers then you may have hens in molt which does not but sometimes last for months depending of the nutritional condition of the birds. Tail feathers pulled out often means flock crowding in the roost as they fight for space to sleep.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoMoulting. It is ok and this too shall pass.
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Are chickens supposed to shed there feathers?
yes i believe so. i find feathers from my two red hens evary month or so in their laying quarters.
Why do chickens lose feathers on their backside besides molting?
Stronger chickens will often attack weak chickens by pecking out their feathers, particularly on the rear because that's the end that's facing the stronger chicken when the weaker one tries to run away. The hens lose feathers on their backs because the roosters are too aggressive. Hens need be bred les than once a day to make teir eggs fertile. When there are too many roosters, the hens will be overbred causing their feathers to be pulled/worn off their backs and necks. The ideal ratio of roosters to hens is 1 to 12.
How wide do hens grow?
Hens only grow to around a foot wide, including the feathers. But this all depends on the breeds and such.
Are parakeets supposed to go bald?
If by no feathers no their not supposed to.
What is wrong if a chicken loses feathers on its rear?
Chickens will lose their feathers in a process called a molt or moult. At this time they will usually go off the lay and their comb will shrink and go pale. The chicken can lose their feathers in patches or almost all at once and will look terrible. When the feathers start to grow back it will be all spiky but soon they will look much better and return to laying. Another time that hens can lose feathers, especially from underneath, is when they go 'broody' or 'clucky'. A broody hen is thinking about hatching eggs. She will spend all day on the nest if she can and she will make a deep clucking sound when you disturb her. The loss of feathers is because she is pulling them out to make the nest nice and also to make direct contact with the eggs and her skin when she sits on them. A third reason for losing feathers is that the hen or other hens are picking at them. At the back end of the chicken it is probably other hens pecking. This often happens to the lower ranked hens. It can be a very bad habit for hens to get into, so you should try to discourage it. If a hen has just laid an egg (especially if she has laid a very big one) she might have an open cloaca (opening to the reproductive, urinary and digestive tracts in a chicken) that might show some red. If there are no feathers to disguise this she might get picked at by other hens in this area and she could die from this. Picking can result from bored chickens or an unbalanced diet. Providing something like a piece of pork fat or prawn shells for them to peck at can sometimes help.
What do you do if you have two roosters and all your hens are losing feathers?
Reduce the rooster population by one. Your hen to cockerel ratio is too large and your hens are being mounted by both roosters during the day. Each time a rooster mates with a hen she will lose or damage feathers. Hens doing double duty are losing them at twice the normal rate and are being given no time for recovery.
Do hens hibonate?
No chickens do not hibernate nor do they migrate.
Why would a canary lose feathers around his neck?
Why would a canary lose the feathers around his neck?
How do you know if there is a chick in a hens egg?
the hen will not leave the egg and the egg will be covered in feathers
If a rooster loses his long tail feathers will they grow back?
Yes. The long tail feather often drop off during the first molt when all the roosters feathers are replaced by new one's. The new long feathers will take more time to regrow so be patient, they will come back. Many roosters lose the long feathers due to picking from the hens while they roost at night
Why do chickens lose feathers at the base of their backs?
because that's where theres lose feathers and because they have to make there nest out of those feathers and that's where there eggs come out from
How do you tell the difference between a roster and a hen from looking at their feathers?
Roosters have larger tail feathers and are usually a bit more colourful than hens.
