frances
Hello all, love the site. Hope you can help. we live in Spain and keep 5 laying hens (assorted colours) under our pool, with a netted run so they can come in and out at will. All are laying once every day or two. We feed them a mix sold by the local shop(for hens rather than chickens for the pot-lots of chickens kept here!)plus a lot of mostly our own organic green leftovers. 3 of them have recently been looking moth eaten around the neck and one also around the tail feathers. As she is at the bottom of the pecking order I was not worried until today when I managed to capture her- no sign of mites etc but very short of feathers esp round neck. She also has white patches on the red bits behind her ears(are these wattles?) She is still laying and eating the same as usual-when the others let her. The only other new factor is that there has been a rodent, probably a rat, in their quarters. What could the problem be, and should I separate her? I am sure one of you will know! Thanks
Richard
Rats do have a go at hens now and again. We've got rats, but I can't recall any injuries.
It could be the others being bossy behind your back, or maybe she's simply shedding her feathers.
You could try separating her for a bit if that's possible, but allowing the others to still see her and vice versa.
The other thing is that perhaps you have something which is specific to hotter climes ?
