Response to pitiful chickens

Hi- It very well could be the roosters or mites/lice but it could also be plain old feather-picking. First, I'd take an up-close look at a couple of hens to see if they really do have mites. There's no sense medicating if there aren't any. (Wood ashes and DE are always good though.) Our hens have had the same problems from time to time and I treat it as a vitamin deficiency. It always disappears, in time, if I give them more protein, as in meat scraps and suet. It also disappears in the summer when they are free-ranging and filling up on grasshoppers, etc. Maybe having more room to roam around in helps, too. They're just like kids cooped up in small quarters- eventually they start picking on one another. Good luck.

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