Why do laying hens drop feathers?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Each owner of the poultry yard, of course, wants his birds not to get sick and show maximum productivity. But, unfortunately, their illnesses are not uncommon. Sometimes the question arises before poultry farmers: why do feathers fall out from laying hens? What's happening? The chicken not only loses its feather, but may even become partially bald. This process is considered a disease of chickens, and is scientifically called alopecia. Let's take a closer look at this phenomenon. And find out why chickens drop feathers on their backs and other parts of their bodies.

Seasonal molt

If the chicken starts losing feathers, don't panic! First you need to make sure that this is not a molt. Seasonal molting is a natural process of feather renewal in a bird. The change of feathers is strictly in order:

• head;
• neck;
• breast;
• back;
• wings;
• sides;
• tail.

Shedding in poultry depends on age and time of year. In spring, molting begins only in young chickens, the rest of the bird molts in autumn. This process takes four to eight weeks.

What is alopecia?

Chicken owners face the following problem: the bird loses its feather, goes bald. This does not happen during the autumn molt, but can happen at any time of the year. Parts of the body usually affected are the neck, back, and chest. Feathers become brittle, and the chicken can lose not only them, but also fluff. All this is different from normal molting and is considered a disease that is called "alopecia".

It is important to notice the disease at the very beginning. With alopecia, the feathers of a bird become discolored, lose their luster and fall out. And during seasonal molting, small feathers fall out from the lower layers. There is a difference. If chickens are losing feathers, why should you be worried? What is the risk? If treatment is not started immediately, the bird can lose up to 90% of its plumage very quickly.

Causes of alopecia

Bird baldness can start quite suddenly. This process is enhanced under the influence of certain factors. You should consider the reasons why feathers fall out in chickens. An unbalanced diet is considered one of the main ones, when the diet lacks vitamins and minerals, and also loss is possible with a lack of cystine, calcium, sulfur, iodine, phosphorus and manganese.

Another reason why chickens drop feathers onneck and back, - keeping birds in poor conditions: dirt, dust, too dry or, conversely, humid air, lack of ventilation and violation of the temperature regime, as well as keeping in cramped rooms. The cause of the disease can also be parasites (lice and feather eaters). This also includes lack of light, lack of outdoor exercise, lack of vitamin D.

What is the disease dangerous?

Damage to the skin gives the bird serious inconvenience. With alopecia, the functioning of vital organs is disrupted, the bird has a nutritional deficiency. In laying hens, the reproductive function is disturbed, due to the fact that most of the nutrients are spent on egg formation. A sick bird begins to lay fewer eggs, and then the laying stops altogether. The bird is weakening and losing weight, a fatal outcome is possible.

Remove causes

So, first of all, it is necessary to identify the reason why feathers fall out of chickens. With timely treatment, the bird can be saved. Consider the causes and their elimination.

Unhe althy diet

When eating is disturbed, chickens lose their luster of plumage, feathers begin to fall out, and egg production decreases. Things to do:

1. The presence of mineral supplements and vitamins in the feed is necessary. Special supplements can be purchased at the store.
2. Together with vitamins, sulfur or Glauber's s alt should be added to the feed at every meal.
3. To replenish the level of minerals, you should add potassium permanganate or iodine to your drinking water in the morning.
4. Must buy good qualityspecial food in the store. From natural feeds, it is useful to add cabbage leaves, vegetables of the legume family, as well as bone meal to the feed. These products contain sulfur, which contains components that promote feather growth. Can be added to food and combustible sulfur, it can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Signs of alopecia

Alopecia affects the following areas of the body: back, neck, chest, tail and abdomen. Sometimes a chicken can become completely naked, its skin becomes inflamed, with bruises. When sick, chickens lose weight, stop laying, immunity is greatly weakened.

What is the disease dangerous?

Alopecia with timely and proper care is not a serious disease. But if the bird is not treated, even death is possible.

Medicines

Drugs are important too. The following medicines are used to treat alopecia:

• "Ganasupervit" - water-soluble vitamins;
• "Chiktonik" - multivitamin remedy;
• Gamavit is an immunomodulating agent;
• "Desi Spray" - wound healing sprayer;
• "Operin" - a feed mixture that is equated to drugs.

Folk remedies

For the treatment of the disease, you can use folk remedies. The horns or hooves of domestic animals are best suited for this purpose. It is necessary to prepare flour from them and add them to the feed daily. It is believed that organic products are veryeffective: they help stop the loss of feathers and promote the growth of new ones. Flour should be used until the result is visually noticeable. If it is not possible to prepare flour from horns and hooves, you should proceed as follows: collect all the feathers in the chicken coop, chop and add to the feed. They also contain cystine, which will also give a positive effect.

Incorrect Containment Procedures

If it became known that the cause of alopecia is poor management, it is enough to carry out the following activities (in the absence of a bird):

• clean up the room;
• carry out a complete disinfection;
• ventilate;
• make a hood if it doesn't exist.

It is recommended to make a large window in the room so that the sun's rays can enter the chicken coop. If possible, it is worth buying ultraviolet lamps. The room temperature should be maintained at about 22 degrees Celsius, humidity should not exceed 60%, drafts should not be allowed. It is necessary to provide chickens with walking. They should be able to be outdoors.

Why do chickens drop feathers on their buttocks?

Next. When kept on dirty, wet bedding, hens begin to lose hair in the butt area, and constant contact of feathers with a wet, dirty floor helps to remove feathers from this part of the body. All this leads to focal alopecia. It is necessary to carry out the treatment of floors in the chicken coop with disinfectant solutions to preventinfection of birds with parasites. It is recommended that the floor in the room is always dry.

One of the reasons chickens drop feathers is parasites. This is very serious. In the presence of parasites in a bird, alopecia begins precisely with the tail, and then spreads to other parts of the body. Down and feather eaters feed on down and feathers, as well as skin epithelium. For the prevention and control of parasites, an ash bath should be installed in the room where the birds are located. Chickens, bathed in ashes, will do a good cleaning of feathers. You just need to make sure that the contents in the container are not wet.

Pest Control:

• Frontline;
• Ivomek;
• "Epicid A";
• "Neomastosan";
• Novomek.

Why do chicken breast feathers fall out?

And that's not all. Also, the bird may lose feathers on the breast due to the presence of parasites. In addition, a chicken, with a lack or absence of mineral supplements in the diet, begins to pluck feathers from its breast. Therefore, the diet must be present:

• sodium;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• bone meal;
• slaked lime;
• wood ash;
• chalk;
• fishmeal;
• fish oil.