SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/chick-bare-spots-picking

Your hen has small bare spots, not an all-over molt. What usually causes them?

Picking, usually by other chickens.

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  1. Picking, usually by other chickens ✔
  2. Normal molting
  3. Cold weather alone

Why: A molt does not cause localized feather loss. Oregon State Extension says bare spots are almost always caused by picking.

Huh, didn't know that: Fast feather loss across a whole flock usually follows a big stress, like running out of water or feed.

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How do chickens keep their coop in order? By the pecking order.
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References

Answer: Picking, usually by other chickens. A molt does not cause localized feather loss. Oregon State Extension says bare spots are almost always caused by picking.

  1. Why Did My Chickens Stop Laying? (PNW 565), Oregon State University Extension extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pnw-565-why-did-my-chickens-stop-laying
    Molt does not result in localized feather loss or bare spots. When bare spots appear, they are almost always the result of picking
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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