Chicken Losing Feathers and Picking them out. Large Bald Spot

[andru123456]

Hi Folks, longtime lurker, finally have something to bring to the site, just wish it was something good...


I have an azure blue girl, she is about 1.5 yrs old. She has a large bald spot on her back, belly and vent.

She is pulling out her own feathers and has stopped laying. As of this morning she has no more tail feathers.

She stopped laying about a week ago and her comb drooped. She is at the bottom of the pecking order, and was getting picked on more than normal. I bathed her in epsom salt (a treatment I read about for mites) and I separated her for about 5 days and her feathers were coming back a bit, but she was getting antsy and wanted back outside. When I reintroduced her, she got spooked and just her jumping around the pen caused a lot of feathers to come out.

I put some no-pick stuff on her backside a couple days ago (which makes it look worse) but she still picks the feathers out. Perhaps its actually bothering her and making the picking worse? There is no blood or scabs I can find.

I saw her do a poop about an hour ago so I don't think it's worms? She continues to eat and drink. Wouldn't all of my hens have problems if it were mites? I didn't find any sign of mites when I would bathe her. I clean the coop out at least once a month and replace the bedding. I have tried giving lots of things to do outside, along with protein treats like scrambled eggs and grubs. She has places to dirt-bathe and she does so on occasion. She is the most anxious of my girls and very jumpy, she's the bottom of the pecking order, as I mentioned.

Could it be molting and the no-pick made it worse? It looks like feathers are coming in (she was just pink on her underside until a day or two ago when the new feather stumps have started coming in.)

Thanks for any help you can provide. I am worried she may be too far gone for my help at this point.

 

[sourland]

Are you certain that flock mates are not doing that to her?

 

[andru123456]

Hi,
they pick on her a bit but she mostly runs away or jumps to a higher perch.
Yes some of it is definitely from the flock but I have seen her doing it as well, so maybe 50/50.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

She is having a Hard Molt. Don't spray any anti peck stuff on her, because her plucking herself might be good. She wouldn't be able to pluck her own feathers, but instead, she's pulling out the loose ones that are starting to bother her and that will fall out anyways. Because of the Hard Molt, it's normal for her to not be laying.

If the other chickens are bothering her, put a kennel in the coop and put her in it. That way, she's still around her flock and can molt where nobody is going to bump up against her painful pin feathers.

 

[andru123456]

Thanks for the tips Lacy Duckwing,

While she does get picked on she usually evades and just goes elsewhere to be alone. Is it better to have her isolated in a small location to get some rest or to let her fend for herself in the coop? She normally sleeps next to the others without issue.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Thanks for the tips Lacy Duckwing,

While she does get picked on she usually evades and just goes elsewhere to be alone. Is it better to have her isolated in a small location to get some rest or to let her fend for herself in the coop? She normally sleeps next to the others without issue.

I often let the hens fend for themselves. If I see a molter having issues with the other flock mates (because of the molt), that's when I'll separate them. If she's doing fine with them, I'd leave her. If she's not, then it would be better to separate her.

 

[andru123456]

Thanks so much for the help, I have put her back in with the other girls.
They pick on her a bit when she comes near sometimes so she is doing alot of perching and picking herself.

Is there anything I can do to prevent picking? I have stopped using the no-pick stuff since it might be part of the problem? But I still feel like I need to do something other than just watch her go bald.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Thanks so much for the help, I have put her back in with the other girls.
They pick on her a bit when she comes near sometimes so she is doing alot of perching and picking herself.

Is there anything I can do to prevent picking? I have stopped using the no-pick stuff since it might be part of the problem? But I still feel like I need to do something other than just watch her go bald.

She's molting, which is a natural process. It's good and healthy that she's loosing her feathers. When her feathers grow back, which they should be all growing back pretty much the same time, she'll be beautiful and soft. Just give her time and be patient.