Another balding chicken puzzle/inquiry

[ImApril]

Hi everyone. I have had my 5 girls for 13 months now, and thanks to these fantastic forums, pretty much everything has happened as i have hoped and planned for. The things that haven't, I have easily remedied with a quick search through BYC. However, I have a balding chicken problem. Two of my hens started balding back in January, I have no doubt it was due to being locked up days at a time during 0 degree weather. One of them grew everything back in fine and is now fully feathered. The other one (Kitty) has been half bald ever since. I have tried all the recommended remedies that I think could help.

Their coop run bedding is sand, the coop floor is sand (over linoleum) in the winter and bare linoleum in the spring summer and fall. When I removed the sand in the spring, the coop was also washed out and scrubbed. I have NEVER seen another hen peck a single feather from any of the other hens, and I do spend a good deal of time in the yard where they range. None of them chase any of the others away during treat/snack time. Their coop is sufficient size for them. 5 hens in a 4x6 coop enclosed inside a 4x10 run. They are only kept locked inside the coop during freezing temps and otherwise have 24/7 access the the rest of the run. I let them free range in my backyard (which is a pretty good sized yard) from 8am up until they go to roost. I have spread both DE and Garden and Poultry Dust in their coop, run, as well as in the dirt box they always dust bathe in. A couple nights ago my husband and I went out to their coop with flashlight and magnifying glass at around 11 pm to see if we could find any creep crawlies. Only found spiders and poop. I got our victim hen (Kitty) and brought her in the house and set her on my white counter tops and gave her a good fluffing to see if anything living landed on the counters. Still nothing. I used my magnifying glass and gave a good once over and still, saw nothing at all.

I don't see any mites lice or other parasites day or night.
All 4 of the other hens are fine, fat, and fully feathered.
They aren't overcrowded or undernourished. (i see no pecking)
I'm at a loss.
There is slight skin irritation, but no scabs or blood.

Here are some photos of the hens:


















Photos of the coop:







I'm really getting frustrated with trying to figure out how to help her, i know it has to be unpleasant for her the be like that all the time and worry about her getting sunburns too. This is my last ditch effort before i suck it up and take her to a local vet. I have 4 baby chicks coming next week and feel I need to take care of this before I start bringing more around.

Please, feel free to ask, question, advise or speculate.

Thanks for your time and help,
April

 

[emmaie892000]

It sounds like you've done everything I could think of to help it.
The only reasons for no regrowth I can think of is
1. Picking from the other hens or herself
2. Not enough nutrients to grow back new feathers
3. Mites or lice damage
4. Feather ends left in skin so new feathers won't grow in

But it sounds like you've checked everything thoroughly.

 

[ImApril]

It sounds like ...
Not enough nutrients to grow back new feathers

Should I be giving her supplements of some sort to help with this? What type of nutrients (protein, calcium, ect) would she need more of? Any recommended brands/formulas to try?

Thanks so much for the response!

EDIT: By the way, they eat a general organic layer feed daily and get meal worms or kitchen scraps (veggies or grains) at least every other day. I also grind their shells and put it in their treat about once a week.

 

[dawg53]

Have you seen feathers or fluff on the ground or floor? If not, you have a feather picker and the feathers/fluff are being eaten. Give them gamebird feed for a month, then wean them back to layer feed.

 

[ImApril]

I haven't really paid much attention. I do see feathers/fluff in the coop run, but not more than a few at a time, there is almost never any inside the coop. I'll keep an eye on the feathers though and see if I can tell if they are eating them. Thanks for the game feed suggestion, I will look into that.

Thanks again,
April