Alice: abuse or ill?

[lizO]

This is Alice. She's always looked a little ragged, at least since Gertrude "went back to Paris." She came with a bad beak job and over-whacked wings. For at least a year she's been losing feathers. Last summer I was all about de-licing her and everybody and the coop, and then washing, DE, new bath with sand, DE, wood ash, etc. It just gradually gets worse. It started in the crop area. But she eats well, lays like a trooper, and is otherwise perky and alert.

So, do you think she is a victim of being at the bottom of the pecking order? Or is something eating her? Maybe it's a body-image issue?

Please advise.

 

[threehorses]

Did Gertrude break her heart?

Can you tell us how old she is (if you know) ? On recent inspections do you find that she's louse-free? Did you repeat the lice treatment a couple of times in 7 day increments?

What exactly is her diet? Including treats, approximate percentage of each food (example "80% layer at 16% protein, the rest scratch and treats"). She free ranges, I take it?

I'd definitely take a lawn chair and sit and watch the flock. You have to sit a while so that they aren't tuned in to you and start 'behaving badly' after they relax about you, the Bringer of Feed.

Is she the bottom of the order?

Is her crop always that distended, or just through the day it empties?

Any redness of the skin, around the vent? Broken skin? Are the feather follicles just not growing any feathers? No stubs? No broken feathers? No new pin-feathers in their casings?

She looks like a spunky little hen. Hopefully we can help you out.

 

[77horses]

I would also like to know; that just about matches exactly what one of our Red Star hens, Penny, is going through. She, along with another hen, came to us in bad conditions; completely bald tails/backs and had major scaly leg mites. The other hen grew all her feathers back and is one of the fluffiest chickens we have(besides our Cochins). Penny, on the other hand, has always looked raggy and she has always had missing feathers on her chest(just like yours). She currently has lice and roundworms(which we are trying to get rid of) and is in bad condition. Her vent is foamy and her crop was all swollen today. Sure we grew her feathers back on her tail, but still looks raggy and not very healthy. But she acts fine; she eats and drinks on her own, is alert and follows her friends and the rooster around the yard, free ranging and taking dirt baths and sun bathing, etc. She acts healthy and happy but just doesn't look too healthy.

Good luck to both of us!

 

[lizO]

thanks to you both. (seems like we all have horses too. only one horse, Iclandic gelding)

She is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. but there are only 2 above her. Her crop is always distended, but it isn't hard, and I keep thinking that I shouldn't mess with it since she seems otherwise fine.

Her vent is healthy looking and clean. No broken skin. I repeated the treatments at 3-5 day intervals about 3 times. and then did the whole thing all over again several weeks later. The other 2 don't have any signs, except they look dirtier on their saddle, right above tail feathers. I've thought that was from the DE mixed in with the sand.

Some follicles aren't growing any feathers. there are a lot of broken feathers. i think taking a chair out to 'set a spell' is a good idea, i should be able to see if she's plucking at herself.

o, feed. i'm not sure what % protein, but she gets layer crumbles and table "scraps" (some veggies, fish, other proteins, nothing oily, salty, sugary), frequent yogurt, ACV in water always, and occasionally i mix up cod liver oil w/ the crumbles for a dose of 'what ails you.' They aren't free-range but their pen area is huge, they haven't yet taken it down to bare ground. I move the stakes and plastic chicken-wire around the yard so they can clean up my garden when it gets too bare & dirty.)

(Yes, Gertrude did break her heart, but i thought that was better than telling her what really happened to Gertrude. Maybe that was a bad call...)

Thanks, 77; good luck with Penny, 3!

 

[77horses]

(seems like we all have horses too. only one horse, Iclandic gelding)

LOL I actually don't have any horses, but I wish I did. I plan on getting one or two when I get my own house someday.

 

[lizO]

Update on Alice. Thankfully I didn't have to flush her crop; i gave her some yogurt, oil and grit in preparation for isolating. but she's still losing feathers. Funny that she is all eaten up with it and no one else is. As soon as possible i'll clean the coop, spray it with Permethrin, and dust them all with poultry dust. and then repeat in 7 days, right? and to make sure i'm covered for both mites and lice, repeat again at 14 days? should I use the Adams tick & flea in the meantime? or, maybe she's just gonna be one of those "nekkid" chickens i was just reading a post about..... otherwise, she seems to be healthy. thanks, lizO

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Yes, ma'am - I think that treating "because" might just catch something you're not able to catch on the bird. Then again, yeast infections (systemic) can cause feather loss. Additional protein might help her catch up though?

She's not a frizzle is she?

 

[lizO]

Not a frizzle. A red star. I've increased protein and she gets occasional cod liver oil, yogurt, whatever occurs to me that is healthy. Ok, we're on a new bug hunt. Thanks for your help.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
OK, I was just checking as sometimes double-bred frizzles will have bald spots. Wanted to rule that out.

Good luck with your bug hunt; they can be tricky sometimes. /sigh