Calling all chicken experts, Isa Brown advice needed

[cat]

(If anyone thinks this should go in another category please let me know.)

I have a 3 yo Isa Brown that I have had since she was a pol. She is healthy in every respect except her feathers.

Her poor feathers look awful and she is practicaly bald on her head! Many of the feathers are now only spikey quills with no fluffy bit left at all. (I know there is probably a technical term for the fluffy bit but it escapes me for now)

She has never moulted at all whatsoever, not even a neck moult.

She eats a good layers mix, has scratch, oyster shell and grit (and way too many treats as she is the old lady of the flock).

All my birds free range from 8am untill they put themselves to bed.

The other eleven birds are all different breeds, but they are all in great condition, lay regularly and moult as normal.

Does anyone have any experience of Isa Browns? I don't know if this is normal or if she has some sort of condition or is lacking some nutrient.

 

[BeccaOH]

Is the feather loss mainly on her back and head? Is she with a rooster? Could she be the rooster's favorite?

I have a couple hens in my flock that look sort of like that because of the rooster's lovin'.

 

[LilPeeps]

Either she's being over mated or she's just going through a molt.

 

[cat]

Hi, no we don't have a rooster and she is definitely not going through a moult, she has never moulted in the 2 1/2 years I have had her, that's why I wondered if maybe Isa Browns don't moult

 

[pipermark]

They molt but some birds do not hard molt. This bird maybe going through her first hard molt, possibly because of her age. I would give her some protein treats, and a little time. The great thing is, if it is a hard molt, I think they always come out of it looking 2x better then when they went into it, nice shiny, vibrant feathers.