Loss of tail feathers and Black Spots

Hi my hen Ashley (a Rhode Island Red) is losing a lot of tail feathers and has weird black spots on her comb and wattle. Both have been there for about 4-5 days and stayed the same although the black spots have gotten a tiny bit bigger. What should I do to help her?

Is she getting pecked at by her chicken friends?
The black spots on her comb are probably from frostbite. To protect her comb and heal frostbite. Put some coconut oil on her comb and wattle, the coconut oil will heal her comb and make her comb nice and red. Chickens also love to eat coconut oil. So do dogs.
Losing tail feathers could be from molting or starting to molt.

Hope this helps

BCP

BoomChickaPop said:

Is she getting pecked at by her chicken friends?
The black spots on her comb are probably from frostbite. To protect her comb and heal frostbite. Put some coconut oil on her comb and wattle, the coconut oil will heal her comb and make her comb nice and red. Chickens also love to eat coconut oil. So do dogs.
Losing tail feathers could be from molting or starting to molt.

Hope this helps

BCP

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I thought she already molted during the winter, but I will definitely try the coconut oil, and it is just her tail feathers .I do have a disagreement right now in the coop and the younger chickens are bulling her and her feathered friends...that might be part of it. Thank you for replying!

Dixie Hens said:

I thought she already molted during the winter, but I will definitely try the coconut oil, and it is just her tail feathers .I do have a disagreement right now in the coop and the younger chickens are bulling her and her feathered friends...that might be part of it. Thank you for replying!

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Ok does she lay eggs?
I would definitely do the coconut oil to protect her comb
Good Luck
BCP

BoomChickaPop said:

Ok does she lay eggs?
I would definitely do the coconut oil to protect her comb
Good Luck
BCP

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She did not today, but did yesterday and the day before that. Just put coconut oil on her comb and wattle. All the chickens came over and wanted some. How long should I keep putting it on for?

Dixie Hens said:

She did not today, but did yesterday and the day before that. Just put coconut oil on her comb and wattle. All the chickens came over and wanted some.

How long should I keep putting it on for?

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Yes just put coconut oil on her comb and wattle until the black spots go away
Yep chickens love coconut oil it is very good for them too
It will take about 5 days to 1 week before the black spots go away you will see results in 1 -2 days

BCP

BoomChickaPop said:

Yes just put coconut oil on her comb and wattle until the black spots go away
Yep chickens love coconut oil it is very good for them too
It will take about 5 days to 1 week before the black spots go away you will see results in 1 -2 days

BCP

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Thank you, I will!

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

Hi and welcome to BYC! The Learning Centre is a great place to start off as it has loads of info on anything chicken. Joining your state thread (just type your state in the search box) will also put you in contact with other BYC members in your area.

If other flock members continue to bully her, it may be worth putting the aggressors in a separate coop and run for 1-2 weeks and then put them back with the main flock. This should lower their pecking order or at least help them to forget that bullying is a good pastime!

All the best
CT

It does sound as if the missing tail feathers are from bullying. In addition to trying CTKen's suggestion, you may need to evaluate the size of your coop and run. Chickens get cranky when they are crowded. For dual purpose birds like Ashley, the coop should be 4 sq. feet per bird and the run 10 sq. feet per bird. That does not include space taken up by feeders, nesting boxes, etc. Actually, the more space, the better.

Good luck to you!