Broken Feathers

Date sort Score sort
The Scarlet Hen

The Scarlet Hen

In the Brooder
5 Years
Dec 18, 2014
21
0
24
Hello and Good morning. I was wondering if any one would have some advice for me. I have a hen, Scarlet, who has a small cluster where her feathers have been broken off near the base. Her skin is a nice normal color but it does seem a little swollen, Im not sure if a should A) remove the feathers that have been broken off, put some kind of ointment on it and cover it. B) leave them in, put something on it and cover it. C) remove her from the flock and put something on it. D) do nothing. E) something other then what I have come up with. I thank you in advance for any and all help, I truly love my girls and would like to have her fixed up as soon as possible!
 
Can you post a picture so we can see how bad she is? What part of her body? Do not remove the feathers, they will fall out and regrow with time. Are the other chickens pecking her? and was she attacked? Sorry for all the questions.
 
welcome-byc.gif
Glad you joined us!

How long has it been since the feathers were broken? Leaving the broken feathers in won't hurt her, though they aren't the nicest thing to look at. When she molts, the broken feathers should fall out and new, healthy feathers will grow in.
 
Welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
We're glad to have you.

X2 on Bantamlover21. I would leave the feathers in. But, you should ideally identify the cause of the broken feathers in the first place. If other chickens are pecking at her, you may need to isolate her from them.
 
I think that she is either getting picked on or the rooster is being to rough, she is low in flock pecking order, so I would not be surprised if one of the more alpha hens is giving her a hard time. Although she is not alone near the bottom, yes she is the only one that looks this way. She has always been a little more unkept looking then the rest but this is much worse then just messy feathers. II noticed this about a week ago. It had stayed about the same size, I have some saddles coming in the mail the should be here in a day or two but I worry that it might make the other hens pick on her more if they are to blame.

They are all fairly kind and loving, but they do getting a little greedy when special treats are put out.
Would putting a saddle on a hen that is higher in the pecking order help keep her from being in the spot light?


Thank you all for all your help!
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. I would leave the broken feathers in and put some Blue Kote Wound Dressing on the area where the feathers are broken. Not only will it promote healing, but it will discourage other chickens from pecking the area. If you're not familiar with Blue Kote, you can see it at https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/blue_kote_wound_dressing.html. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with Scarlet.
 
The Scarlet Hen said:
I think that she is either getting picked on or the rooster is being to rough, she is low in flock pecking order, so I would not be surprised if one of the more alpha hens is giving her a hard time. Although she is not alone near the bottom, yes she is the only one that looks this way. She has always been a little more unkept looking then the rest but this is much worse then just messy feathers. II noticed this about a week ago. It had stayed about the same size, I have some saddles coming in the mail the should be here in a day or two but I worry that it might make the other hens pick on her more if they are to blame.

They are all fairly kind and loving, but they do getting a little greedy when special treats are put out.
Would putting a saddle on a hen that is higher in the pecking order help keep her from being in the spot light?


Thank you all for all your help!
Click to expand...

I think your hen is back ridden. That is, from excessive mateing on the part of your rooster. usually when you have feather picking happening, you see missing feathers from the neck area. Does your rooster have long spurs? if so, then you might want to file them off, I have had multiple hens suffer large gashes during the breeding season, because of my roo's long spur.
 
They are not too long but they (he's still young) but they are growing! Whats the best way to file them down? I will give that a try right away! Thank you
 

Similar threads

Ccort
    • Like
Broken feathers on feet
Replies
3
Views
445
ChickNanny13
ChickNanny13
WingsysRoost
    • Like
NOT URGENT Hen with several broken blood feathers on tail - next steps after initial treatment?
Replies
4
Views
741
WingsysRoost
WingsysRoost
Beccichka
Neck feathers
2
Replies
10
Views
2K
Beccichka
Beccichka
JimmyJames
Hawk attack and injured quail.
Replies
8
Views
1K
Nabiki
Nabiki
Canidae
Broken beak tip
Replies
8
Views
867
Eggcessive
Eggcessive

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom