“Ratty” feathers on 6 month old BO..??

[Rachela70]

Hi there,
This is my 6 month old BO...
Ethal I raised 6 from day old chicks.
Then to to the Coop..,
Lost my Favorite Girl to what I determined hawk. Her name was Heady... & she & me had a real thing for the time we had.
Still feeling the Guilt..

I am nothing but a country/ nature person... done it all my life, but am considering myself a newbie with these Girls now, as it’s been many years since I grew up with chickens, goats , turkey etc,

My question is this:
Is Esthel displaying pre-nesting : situation as she is wanting to go to the coop recently.”,
I have diligently checked: no lice or mites...
They are now to allow:”let’s check your vent”.

 

[ValerieJ]

Did you mean to include a photo in your post? That would be helpful.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi there,
This is my 6 month old BO...
Ethal I raised 6 from day old chicks.
Then to to the Coop..,
Lost my Favorite Girl to what I determined hawk. Her name was Heady... & she & me had a real thing for the time we had.
Still feeling the Guilt..

I am nothing but a country/ nature person... done it all my life, but am considering myself a newbie with these Girls now, as it’s been many years since I grew up with chickens, goats , turkey etc,

My question is this:
Is Esthel displaying pre-nesting : situation as she is wanting to go to the coop recently.”,
I have diligently checked: no lice or mites...
They are now to allow:”let’s check your vent”.

I'm sorry to hear you lost one to a predator.

I'm not quite sure about your question about Ethal. Are you wanting to know if she's coming into lay?
Is she acting sick or just wanting to inspect nesting boxes, etc.?
Not sure what you are asking - they are now to allow "let's check the vent"? You may find the article linked below helpful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Rachela70]

I'm sorry to hear you lost one to a predator.

I'm not quite sure about your question about Ethal. Are you wanting to know if she's coming into lay?
Is she acting sick or just wanting to inspect nesting boxes, etc.?
Not sure what you are asking - they are now to allow "let's check the vent"? You may find the article linked below helpful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Thank you for your reply:
I’m sorry: meant to post photos of the “ratty” looking feathers...
And meant to say that they Do let me check their vents... looks Ok. And No mites/Lice.
Supplements needed? Or because she’s slightly unique from the rest
(yellow legs, beak & vent) is this “normal”..??

 

[ValerieJ]

Looks like molting to me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for your reply:
I’m sorry: meant to post photos of the “ratty” looking feathers...
And meant to say that they Do let me check their vents... looks Ok. And No mites/Lice.
Supplements needed? Or because she’s slightly unique from the rest
(yellow legs, beak & vent) is this “normal”..??
View attachment 1944192 View attachment 1944194

Do you have a photo of all of her, I would love to see her face

Do you have a rooster?
How much space do you have and how many chickens do you have?
What do you feed?

 

[Rachela70]

Hi there,
This is my 6 month old BO...
Ethal I raised 6 from day old chicks.
Then to to the Coop..,
Lost my Favorite Girl to what I determined hawk. Her name was Heady... & she & me had a real thing for the time we had.
Still feeling the Guilt..

I am nothing but a country/ nature person... done it all my life, but am considering myself a newbie with these Girls now, as it’s been many years since I grew up with chickens, goats , turkey etc,

My question is this:
Is Esthel displaying pre-nesting : situation as she is wanting to go to the coop recently.”,
I have diligently checked: no lice or mites...
They are now to allow:”let’s check your vent”.

Do you have a photo of all of her, I would love to see her face

Do you have a rooster?
How much space do you have and how many chickens do you have?
What do you feed?

No rooster.. 4 hens. They have a 3’x3’ coop that has an attached run I got from TS ( couldn’t afford the set up I really wanted) and then built a 8’ long run attached to that. When I’m home & I don’t spy any hawks in the woods nearby, I let them run free in the fenced in garden where the coop/run resides. Their feed is layer crumbles, & occasional veg scraps, mealy worms & sometimes scratch or treats. I give them grit as well as oyster shell. Here’s Ethel..!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Observe them during roosting, likely her roostmate is nipping her feathers.

As for yellow skin, beak, legs...that's not unusual if she's a hatchery BO. BO's *should* have white/pinkish legs and beak, skin should be white too, but hatcheries often have their own "line" where they may have mixed in another breed somewhere in history to add vigor. The color I would not worry about.