Chicken feathers serve a number of purposes for both birds and humans. For hens, their feathers provide camouflage and protection from the weather. For the roosters, they are a way to win mates. For scientists, farmers and show judges, feathers provide a measure of poultry health. While annual molting is a normal part of a chicken’s lifecycle, other feather loss can be a sign of something wrong in your flock.
Chicken Feathers: Causes for Concern
There are many reasons chickens may lose their feathers that suggest health issues in the bird. Parasites, illnesses, stress and other culprits are all possible issues.
Parasites
Poultry mites can infest chickens and burrow into the skin next to the feathers. This causes the birds to pull out their feathers in an attempt to rid themselves of the irritation. Other mites and lice can cause similar reactions. Signs of these parasites on birds are often a signal that the entire flock is infested and likely the coop and run as well.
It is important to verify that parasites are the issue before treatment. Bacteria or fungal infections can also cause feather loss in a flock and often require medication.
Physical Causes
Feathers are made up primarily of protein and birds may consume a flock mate’s feathers to make up for a protein deficit. Other micronutrient deficiencies can cause cannibalizing behaviors as well. Keep in mind that nutritional needs will vary depending on the breed, time of year, age of the birds and other factors.
Bald chickens can also be a symptom of exposure to toxins or overheating. While it can easily be attributed to a stress problem, feather picking because of extreme temperatures, lack of fresh water or high ammonia levels can be symptom of much more severe issues. In fact, feather picking and levels of loss are often used by animal welfare experts to determine the safety and health of a flock.
Stressors
Some stress-induced feather pulling may exist in even a healthy flock since pecking order clashes can involve physical altercations. However, if the behavior persists or birds are found with severe feather loss, this is often more than normal, competitive behavior. Feather loss can be caused by higher-status hens bullying flock mates. Boredom, cramped quarters, predators and other stressors can result in chickens plucking out each other’s feathers.
If birds appear to be stressed, widening runs and providing enrichment activities can help to reduce issues with overcrowding or lack of stimulation. Roosters can help with the regulation of a flock, though if there are too few hens for an amorous male, over-mating may also cause feather loss in the hens. In this case, it is caused by him repeatedly mounting them and pulling their feathers out.
Measuring Chicken Feather Loss
Feather scoring is a measure of feather loss in a flock. Measuring about 50% of the birds in a flock is suggested to best determine the over-all flock health, and a single bird missing large numbers of feathers is not likely to be seen as a sign of concern. Scoring is done on a scale of 0-2 and should not be done when birds are molting.
- Birds with a score of zero are missing no feathers or may be missing a single feather here and there at most. There should be no skin showing. Checking the area around the vent is important.
- Birds with a score of one may have small amounts of skin showing and will have noticeable missing or broken feathers. The bird may look slightly ruffled.
- Birds with a score of two have large swaths of skin showing, major feathers may be broken, and the bird will look quite ragged. Flocks with a high number of level 2 scores have also been correlated with high levels of illness in the birds, underweight flocks and poorer production in laying hens.
Since chickens are prey animals, they will often hide issues and can be difficult to diagnose. Knowing the possible signs and symptoms associated with feather loss can help identify issues in a flock more quickly.
This story about chicken feathers and scoring was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.
