hen loosing feathers

[Molly Palmer]

I have a hen who has been loosing feathers for the last 2 years. Her breast is pretty bare and also under her wings. She and her mate have been nesting for the last year, have produced some 30 eggs but none have hatched. She is very well fed and has a nice large cage and is not being abused by her mate, the only other bird around. She also seems very happy and otherwise healthy. Her mate is in great shape. What should I do? They lay a clutch of eggs every 4-5 weeks. Should I take away the nest box?

[linda040899]

Her chest is bare from removing feathers so she can make better contact with her eggs that she's incubating. That's perfectly normal. Yes, I would remove the box if she isn't sitting on eggs and give her a long rest to recuperate! Remove the nest, rearrange the cage and move the cage to a different location, if possible.