What causes feather loss in breeding chickens?

Farmers often report that their breeding chickens are losing feathers. Sometimes it occurs only in individual breeding chickens, and sometimes it is large-scale feather loss among breeding chickens. What is even more frustrating is that in some breeding chickens the feather loss is also accompanied by a drop in egg production, which brings considerable economic losses to farmers. So why does this feather loss occur?

The main causes of this phenomenon include (including folliculitis), abnormal or brittle feather structure and texture, feather replacement, and feather pecking, and the specific factors that trigger them are also complex and varied. Qinnong Network has summarized them into the following three aspects.

1. Nutritional problems related to feather loss.

The growth of feathers and the maintenance of their normal structure require an adequate nutrient supply. Any deficiency of nutrients related to feather structure may cause feathers to become brittle and break easily; insufficient nutrient content in feed often causes dermatitis and folliculitis, thereby inducing feather pecking in breeding chickens. At present, research on the nutritional requirements of breeding chickens has gradually matured in terms of mineral and vitamin requirements; as long as it is a large-scale maintenance requirement with an adequate nutrient supply, any deficiency of nutrients related to feather structure may cause feathers to become brittle and break easily; insufficient nutrient content in feed often causes dermatitis and folliculitis, thereby inducing feather pecking in breeding chickens. At present, research on the nutritional requirements of breeding chickens has already matured in terms of mineral and vitamin requirements; as long as the feed (premix) is produced by a large regular manufacturer, it can fully meet the nutritional requirements of vitamins and trace elements for high production in breeding chickens. For feather loss in breeding chickens caused by nutritional factors, this is mainly manifested in the relatively low energy level, protein level, and feed intake of the chickens during large-feed formulation, resulting in feather loss in breeding chickens.

1. The energy level in the feed is relatively low, resulting in insufficient energy intake by the chickens, thereby causing feather loss in breeding chickens.

According to what was learned in the Fuqing market in Fujian, no matter which manufacturer's premix is used, there are flocks of laying hens showing feather loss. Through understanding the feed used by users, the problem of low energy and high protein in the feed formula is the main cause of feather loss.

2. When the protein level is low, especially when sulfur-containing amino acids are deficient, it can directly affect the synthesis of keratin, the main component of feathers, causing poultry, especially adult poultry, to shed a large number of feathers, and some even cannot grow them back for a long time after losing feathers all over the body. In diseased poultry, feathers on the tail, neck, and back fall off, and are often pecked and eaten by other companions, causing skin infection, and even cannibalism and pecking vices in which they attack each other.

3. Salt

A high salt content in feed can cause salt poisoning in chickens. In chronic poisoning cases, feathers fall off easily. The feather loss problem of laying hens in Fuqing, Fujian, may be greatly related to the widespread use of dried salted fish. Dried salted fish contains very high salt, causing chronic salt poisoning in chickens and resulting in feather loss. Also in Fujian, other places that do not use dried salted fish have not shown feather loss.

2. Environmental problems related to feather loss.

1. Temperature

In high-temperature seasons, chickens may show a small amount of feather loss in order to dissipate body heat, but this is not obvious in newly laying hen flocks.

2. Light

Frequent power outages, forgetting to turn off the lights, or changing the time of turning the lights on and off can all lead to a decline in egg production and trigger feather loss. When the seasons change (especially at the turn of spring and summer), the sudden increase in light causes stress and discomfort in chickens, which easily leads to feather pecking and then feather loss.

3. Cage equipment problems related to feather loss.

At present, the chicken cages commonly used in China are mainly three-tier stepped cages. The spacing of the vertical wires in the front net of the cage is relatively small. When chickens stretch their heads and necks out of the cage while eating and drinking, the feathers on the neck often rub against the vertical wires of the front net. Over time, this causes the neck feathers of hens to break or fall off. In contrast, chickens using bamboo cages have better feathers.

In summary, Qinnong Network concludes that the main causes of feather loss in breeding chickens are three major areas, namely nutrition, environmental changes, and cage equipment. In addition, stress caused by malnutrition and sudden environmental changes can also lead to feather loss in breeding chickens and be accompanied by a decline in egg production. At this time, special attention is needed. As for feather loss caused by cage equipment problems, there will be a great improvement after replacing the cages.