Chicken losing feathers

[117@fleur]

One of our chooks has started losing feathers, around her neck and head, and a bit around her tail. She's 2 or 3 years old and hasn't been picked on before. We thought maybe lice or mites, but none of the other 3 chooks has any of the same symptoms... Any ideas?

 

[Judy]

I'd probably check her at night for lice/mites, or just treat them all if they haven't been treated for a long time. Could be molting. Could be sick and the others sense it. Maybe check for worms as well? Could be something else, but at least these are problems that are not that hard to treat.

 

[sarafrog]

I'm seeing the same thing in one of my 1.5 year old Australorps. My feed store staff suggested that it's possibly a molt and recommended a vitamin and electrolyte supplement in the water. The same hen had avian pox when I got her about 6 weeks ago but those signs are gone...maybe the stress on her immune system caused her to molt...

So, maybe check for mites at night before you medicate for them and consider the vitamins. The bag I got was about $5 and will treat over 100 gallons of water. Good luck!

 

[117@fleur]

thanks guys so much. i'll let you know how it goes!

 

[JennyC]

my chook is doing the same thing but it is nearly winter!

it seems really severe in her case though. she has just stopped being broody but at least half her feathers are gone1 they were all there yesterday!

plllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee help im really worried.

 

[pattee]

My golden wyandotte is a year and a half and she is losing ALL her feathers! I know they are in molting season but this is really distressing. I can pull handfuls of her feather out of her... she's never been picked on in fact she is one of the dominant one. My feed and seed store said it might be a genetic thing....

How do you check for mites at night. While their roosting take a big flashlight out there?

 

[Giammona farm]

She is probly moulting

 

[pattee]

No ALL of her feathers are coming off...

 

[Wildsky]

Sounds like moulting. I normally give my moulting girls a treat of tuna!

 

[pattee]

Well I've taken my hen to the feed and seed store.

She was being pecked on unmercifully by the 5 other hens... I knew she'd be dead by morning if I didn't do something...

She'd lost almost all of her feathers...

The feed and seed said they'd find her a good home.

Well Lo and Be hold they called me today and said that the reason she was losing all her feathers was because she was turning in to a rooster. All her new feathers were male feathers (hence the losing of all of them)
I looked it up and yes 1 in 10,000 hens turn in to a rooster at on and a half to two years old.

WOw ~knock me over with a "feather"

So now I'm not sure if I'll order from my pet chicken again.
out of 11 chicks all supposed to be hens. I got 2 roosters and now a third one. My silkie isn't a true silkie more like a silkie/frizzle mix. Both my Polish's are poor examples of Polish hens... My silver wyandotte is the only one that doesn't have anything different about what I ordered.

I'm still going to miss mama or now papa immensely!