chicken that was losing feathers now has egg stuck to her bottom...

[ambrosegirl84]

Hi, I posted a while back about my hen who was losing feathers around her comb and top of wings. I got no response so I tried to tkae matters into my own hands. I dusted her and the entire flock twice with permethrin dust. Egg production went up initially but has gone back down to nothing. Until yesterday I noticed that there were a couple eggs in a "nest" on the floor of the coop. I removed them and the nest in hopes that whichever hen was laying there would go back to the nesting box.

This morning I caught the hen mentioned above in that spot. I moved her to a nesting box and noticed some runny egg and thin shell coming out. Did I move her at the wrong time, or is there something wrong with her? I hate to isolate her in a kennel as it has been frightfully hot and I don't want her to get overheated.

Just for background I have 3 hens, 3 16 week old pullets and a rooster. They have access to 6 nesting boxes, a 200 square foot run, shade, fresh water and free choice feed (right now grower/developer because of the pullets). The hens and rooster are just over a year old. I have never noticed any of the other chickens picking on this one, but somehow she keeps losing the feathers! I don't know what to do and my searches online have been fruitless thus far.

Any suggestions? I hate to butcher this chicken if I don't need to!

 

[Chasitity]

I am sorry no one answered you, that can be frustrating. I am not sure what it could be but I'm including a link that discusses someof the options for both issues. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/answers-to-ten-common-questions-about-chicken-heal.html. Have the chickens been under any stress lately? (Please don't be offended by the fact it's from the For Dummies company, I like simple answers. )

 

[krista74]

I have heard of some chickens having an egg break inside them. This is not caused by you picking her up, rather it was probably a weak shelled egg and broke during the laying process. Soft shelled eggs are generally not a problem and occur commonly in fresh layers, however having one break internally is not ideal..

There are videos of this on the internet that you can watch. I saw one in which a woman took her hen inside and gave her a nice warm (not hot!) bath and washed the back end of her chicken with soapy water, gently working her way around the vent.

Then she dried the chicken off and popped her in an open box filled with bedding in a nice quiet spot inside to keep an eye on her while she recovered.

In short, just some tender, loving care.

With regard to the feather loss, it could well be your rooster that is pulling out her feathers while he is mounting her. It is very common for chickens to develop bald patches around the back of the head and neck, and near their wings and rumps where the roosters 'hold on' whilst treading on the chicken during mating. This is not something to worry about either, unless it gets to the point where there is naked skin and blood being drawn. If that is the case you can buy a chicken 'apron' to put on her, which will provide some protection to the delicate skin while it heals.

So in short, I'd hold off calling the butcher just yet! I think with a little extra care she will probably be fine. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she is still eating, drinking, alert and active. If she ticks all those boxes, there is still hope!

- Krista