Feather and weight problems

[ChickieChick11]

Hi everybody, I have a almost two-year-old Rhode Island Red hen (her name is Poppy). She started getting bullied about a year ago, and we removed her from the flock about September/November because it started to get pretty bad and she was missing most of her feathers. We removed her from the flock and put her in the garage. Her neck feathers grew back but the rest of her her feathers are barely coming back in. She is covered in broken-off shafts (down to the skin). How do I get them to grow back? What food should I give her? Should I remove the damaged feather shafts to make new ones grow? She also only weighs about 4.75lbs, but I can’t get her to gain weight either. The second to last photo is of her stomach. Any advice would be appreciated

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Broken feathers won't grow back in until a fall molt. You bird is a bantam. I don't know if it's a RIR.

 

[aart]

Odd. I see a few pin feathers, but most those follicles don't look right.
Wonders if she is self pecking.
She may be stressed being confined alone.
How old is she in months?
Did she molt last fall?
Is she laying?
What all and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[ChickieChick11]

Thank you for your reply! I think she is a standard, and she looks just like my neighbors RIR, just without all the feathers and very skinny. She lays large eggs almost every day (~60g) but has recently started eating them even though her diet hasn’t changed. I think she is getting pretty stressed. All my other chickens molted in the fall, but she didn’t, and I don’t want to leave her in this condition with the hope that she will this fall. Her bones are all very prominent, and her breastbone sticks out a lot and actually caused a sore for a while which we treated. She can’t seem to gain weight. She is 22 months old. I try to take her outside but it’s been very cold and she doesnt have enough feathers. We have a heat lamp set up for her. She gets treats (fruit or treat blocks) fairly often. She is fed Blue Seal: Home Fresh natural layer pellets(16%protein). We tried a high protein mix of manna pro supplements, chick food, and regular food but didn’t see mich difference. Should we go back to that mix or try a different food altogether?

 

[Firefoot]

Thank you for your reply! I think she is a standard, and she looks just like my neighbors RIR, just without all the feathers and very skinny. She lays large eggs almost every day (~60g) but has recently started eating them even though her diet hasn’t changed. I think she is getting pretty stressed. All my other chickens molted in the fall, but she didn’t, and I don’t want to leave her in this condition with the hope that she will this fall. Her bones are all very prominent, and her breastbone sticks out a lot and actually caused a sore for a while which we treated. She can’t seem to gain weight. She is 22 months old. I try to take her outside but it’s been very cold and she doesnt have enough feathers. We have a heat lamp set up for her. She gets treats (fruit or treat blocks) fairly often. She is fed Blue Seal: Home Fresh natural layer pellets(16%protein). We tried a high protein mix of manna pro supplements, chick food, and regular food but didn’t see mich difference. Should we go back to that mix or try a different food altogether?

I agree she sounds like she's stressed out and bored being alone. Seems like it's been a long time since she had a friend. What kind of set-up does she have? You say it's too cold to take her outside -- how cold has it been? If possible, I would try to give her a docile friend who won't peck at her to keep her company. Is she getting access to sunlight? If not, you might need to supplement her light during the day so she is getting enough vitamin D and her hormones keep up with the season change.

Feathers won't come back until she molts but a higher protein feed/good nutrition will help support her in the meantime, especially if she is laying. I know you say you didn't see much difference but it can take a while to see changes from diet. Try a feed with 18-20% protein and supplement with oyster shell if it's low in calcium. You can supplement with crushed egg shells too, but crush them up really good so she doesn't continue egg-eating.

As for the egg-eating, traditional advice is to give her a fake egg that won't break when she pecks it. Try to remove her eggs as soon as possible, but keep the fake one in there so she loses the habit.

 

[Mosey2003]

If she's eating her eggs and she has water available, she's seeking protein. I suggest a high protein feed for everyone (with animal sources included if possible) and re-evaluate. You won't see a dramatic difference in her condition overnight, it will take some time to put it back on. Feeding 16% plus treats is taking them below the very lowest threshold of protein requirements.