Chicken with disheveled feathers and diarrhea

[maryex]

What about feeding them back their own scrambled eggs?
I am starting to think she's getting pecked on at night judging by where the feather are pecked off at. Right top of wing near where her shoulder would be and on each side of her neck towards the front.

 

[Haunted55]

Brittle feathers are a sign of protein deficiency. Or it could be feather picking going on in the flock. Observe the birds for awhile during the day and see how they are behaving. If it is protein deficiency, animal proteins are superior to plant proteins, plus they contain B12, so we should supplement their regular feed ration every so often with adult chickens. Some folks use dog or cat food. With the numerous ingredients in both cat and dog foods you run the risk of giving a chicken too much of the wrong nutrient/ingredient. I tried giving mine Calf Manna once, then tried a fish-based cat kibble. They wouldn't touch either. Canned salmon, tuna that is salt free or very low sodium is good every so often. Non-fat dry milk mixed in a wet mash is a good supplement too. Fish meal itself is hard to come by anymore, at least in my area. Crimped oats are good too as a regular addition and the hulls improve feathering in older chickens. Some folks make it simple by mixing in, or giving gamebird crumbles/pellets every so often, especially when chickens begin to molt.

Canned sardines, no added salt in water. Just went through a picking problem with my new chicks. This stopped it. The gamebird feed is anther one I have used as well. Works awesome!

What about feeding them back their own scrambled eggs?
I am starting to think she's getting pecked on at night judging by where the feather are pecked off at. Right top of wing near where her shoulder would be and on each side of her neck towards the front.

I just found this totally awful, nasty, putrid spray called Phooey. It's like the Bitter Apple spray only much worse. Go ahead, ask me how I know...lol! Anyways, after being covered with Blu-Kote for days on end, because of the fluff picking, I went to the feed store and found this in the dog section. Tried it and it works! As in, one taste and they are shaking their heads and running away. It was only 6 dollars and something, so not too hard on the pocketbook. If there is picking going on at night, this should stop it quickly. I would spray it on the back, neck and chest areas and see what happens. You might also want to spray some on your fingers and rub it on the top of her head as well. Do not forget to wash your hands afterwards! Really good too, lol!

 

[Michael Apple]

What about feeding them back their own scrambled eggs?
I am starting to think she's getting pecked on at night judging by where the feather are pecked off at. Right top of wing near where her shoulder would be and on each side of her neck towards the front.

I've never been a fan of feeding eggs back to birds. I've fed hard boiled, liquified yolk to a sick bird, just to get nutrients in the bird's system, when nothing else was on hand. I've dealt with egg breakers/eaters in the past and don't want them to be accustomed to the taste of their own eggs. Your hen is either picking herself, or getting picked. Try the additional whole crimped oats added to feed, or gamebird crumbles mixed half with their layer feed, and see if that helps. Make sure they have grit and oyster shell mixed in the feed too. Add some vitamin-electrolyte powder in the water a couple days a week.

 

[maryex]

Brittle feathers are a sign of protein deficiency. Or it could be feather picking going on in the flock. Observe the birds for awhile during the day and see how they are behaving. If it is protein deficiency, animal proteins are superior to plant proteins, plus they contain B12, so we should supplement their regular feed ration every so often with adult chickens. Some folks use dog or cat food. With the numerous ingredients in both cat and dog foods you run the risk of giving a chicken too much of the wrong nutrient/ingredient. I tried giving mine Calf Manna once, then tried a fish-based cat kibble. They wouldn't touch either. Canned salmon, tuna that is salt free or very low sodium is good every so often. Non-fat dry milk mixed in a wet mash is a good supplement too. Fish meal itself is hard to come by anymore, at least in my area. Crimped oats are good too as a regular addition and the hulls improve feathering in older chickens. Some folks make it simple by mixing in, or giving gamebird crumbles/pellets every so often, especially when chickens begin to molt.

Oy feed store closed but I did give them some tuna. Will try to pick up some crimped oats tomorrow (didn't know about that) as well as meat. I don't eat meat usually so had none on hand. Does it matter if it's dry or wet cat or dog food?

 

[maryex]

Canned sardines good to know.
Phooey? Is it safe for chix?

 

[maryex]

I've never been a fan of feeding eggs back to birds. I've fed hard boiled, liquified yolk to a sick bird, just to get nutrients in the bird's system, when nothing else was on hand. I've dealt with egg breakers/eaters in the past and don't want them to be accustomed to the taste of their own eggs. Your hen is either picking herself, or getting picked. Try the additional whole crimped oats added to feed, or gamebird crumbles mixed half with their layer feed, and see if that helps. Make sure they have grit and oyster shell mixed in the feed too. Add some vitamin-electrolyte powder in the water a couple days a week.

Is there a particular vitamin/electrolyte powder to use. Can I use polyvisol and pedialyte? Now that I type this I am assuming poultry specific vitamin/electrolyte would be better.

 

[Michael Apple]

Oy feed store closed but I did give them some tuna. Will try to pick up some crimped oats tomorrow (didn't know about that) as well as meat. I don't eat meat usually so had none on hand. Does it matter if it's dry or wet cat or dog food?

Argh. I don't recommend cat or dog food. Be sparing with any no-salt tuna. Give it every couple days. The balance of vitamin, mineral powder in the water a few days a week is important too. I used a supplement called pre-molt for a few hens I had going through a hard molt once. It is listed here with a few other molt supplements: http://www.jedds.com/-strse-Supplem...ditioning-cln-Feather-Moulting/Categories.bok

Hope that helps.

 

[maryex]

Argh. I don't recommend cat or dog food. Be sparing with any no-salt tuna. Give it every couple days. The balance of vitamin, mineral powder in the water a few days a week is important too. I used a supplement called pre-molt for a few hens I had going through a hard molt once. It is listed here with a few other molt supplements: http://www.jedds.com/-strse-Supplem...ditioning-cln-Feather-Moulting/Categories.bok

Hope that helps.

I wasn't keen on the cat food dog food. I suppose the protein would be good for them but probably not anything else.

I did spy on the girls last night after I rearranged the roosts. 2 were on the new set up. 3 including the "suspect" (Sqwakey the bully) were on the old roost. "Victim" I found in the nesting box. I put her next to the 2 girls who I new were nice on the new roost. Sqwakey started going at one of the girls next to her. I took that one and put her with the "safe" group. Then Squawkey went after the other one. I moved that one and left Sqwakey alone. It's warm so I wasn't worried about her being alone. What can I do? She can't roost alone in winter. It gets pretty cold here.

 

[Michael Apple]

There's almost always a bully in the group. Some folks have had success removing the bully from the flock to a separate area for a few days or a week.
Re-introduction to the flock can put that bird at the bottom of the pecking order. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. I've used Pick-No-More lotion deters pickers because it is spicy and birds don't like the taste. Some people have claimed success with dog sprays like Bitter Apple or Phooey! I had an extreme case of a nasty hen injuring other birds once. I took her out to the truck, took a car cigarette lighter and carefully burnt the top section of the beak back 1/8". The bird didn't suffer at all, but the beak was sensitive for awhile and quit picking other birds. It didn't stop her from eating and drinking either. I recommend trying the anti-pick lotion. If that doesn't deter the picking, separate the bird for awhile and re-introduce.

 

[maryex]

There's almost always a bully in the group. Some folks have had success removing the bully from the flock to a separate area for a few days or a week.
Re-introduction to the flock can put that bird at the bottom of the pecking order. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. I've used Pick-No-More lotion deters pickers because it is spicy and birds don't like the taste. Some people have claimed success with dog sprays like Bitter Apple or Phooey! I had an extreme case of a nasty hen injuring other birds once. I took her out to the truck, took a car cigarette lighter and carefully burnt the top section of the beak back 1/8". The bird didn't suffer at all, but the beak was sensitive for awhile and quit picking other birds. It didn't stop her from eating and drinking either. I recommend trying the anti-pick lotion. If that doesn't deter the picking, separate the bird for awhile and re-introduce.

Thanks for the advice (again

) Nothing is open here on Sundays. Will p/u lotion asap.