Chicken biting off her feathers

[5Buffies]

Hi All! One of my 18 mo old buff Orpingtons has a body that is a little strange. Her neck is shorter than the other girls so she can't reach all around her body to preen like they do. She's also a little lopsided and looks like she could use a good chiropractic adjustment! She is a sweet and curious chicken with normal behavior in terms of taking dust baths, laying, foraging etc. She does not seem to be in pain. In the past couple of months I've noticed that she has been biting her feathers off where she can reach on her shoulders and I'm not sure why she's doing it. I don't know if she's itchy all over and that is the only place she can reach or what. I don't see any bugs on her skin and none of the other girls scratching/preening more than usual. I take the girls out to forage every day and she usually hops up on my lap and I massage/scratch her body where she can't reach which she seems to like. I know this is kind of a strange case but I'm wondering if anyone has an experience with something like this and can offer some insight. Pic attached. Thank you!

 

[aart]

Have you actually seen her biting off the feathers?

Why is her body 'strange', did she hatch like that?
Whatever the case, could be her brain is not quite right either.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Is she getting enough protein? I've seen chickens eat feathers because they need protein. They don't usually eat their own though. Is she at the bottom of the pecking order? What are you feeding?

 

[5Buffies]

Have you actually seen her biting off the feathers?

Why is her body 'strange', did she hatch like that?
Whatever the case, could be her brain is not quite right either.

Yes, I see her do it. It’s like she’s preening but going overboard. Her body is strange because her neck is short and it looks like her spine is a little curved. Her body has been noticeably different since she grew out of being a chick. This behavior is relatively new.

 

[5Buffies]

Is she getting enough protein? I've seen chickens eat feathers because they need protein. They don't usually eat their own though. Is she at the bottom of the pecking order? What are you feeding?

That’s a great question. She’s at the bottom. I don’t see her eat the feathers but maybe she is. I was supplementing with high protein snacks when I noticed feathers in another chicken’s poop, but have stopped since the problem seemed fixed. I think I’ll try the extra protein again and see if anything changes. They eat Natures Best layer crumble, get a tsp or so of Manna Pro ultimate scratch, and free roam for a little bit each day. They’re also probably eating too many berries from the garden this summer.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

It might be worth switching to a higher protein feed for a while. You can provide oyster shell on the side for calcium. It will also help her feathers regrow.

 

[5Buffies]

It might be worth switching to a higher protein feed for a while. You can provide oyster shell on the side for calcium. It will also help her feathers regrow.

Thank you. I’ll try that out. We have eggshells on the side ( I forgot to mention that) but I can add in oyster shells too for variety.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Thank you. I’ll try that out. We have eggshells on the side ( I forgot to mention that) but I can add in oyster shells too for variety.

Egg shells are fine. My chickens always preferred them to oyster