Feather loss on be chicken for months

[shannone730]

My mother has 7 chickens all hens, 3 Rhode Island whites, 2 sex links, 1 RI Red and 1 americauna. They all have been together since they were chicks except the 3 ri whites they came last October but were extremely friendly with the existing chickens. One sex link started losing feathers a few months ago and we thought it was molting but it's progressively getting worse to the point that one Wing has no feathers. Could
This be a pecking order? Could there be something internally? Any suggestion will help!

 

[foxy2320]

One of my black French copper marans is doing the same thing. At first I thought she was being overmated, but I don't think that's the case. It's gotten progressively worse, but she still eats, drinks and was laying until she went broody on me. No other sign of sickness or disease, and my philosophy is as long as they're eating, drinking, and otherwise behaving normally, I don't intervene.

 

[shannone730]

Yeah she is eating and drinking and possibly still laying we haven't noticed less eggs and she stays very close to the other hens while out and in the coop and we have never seen pecking.. My concern was if it was a parasite or something if that's even possible

 

[foxy2320]

It could very well be mites or lice, but if it were and it got to the point that there was that much feather loss it seems to me like to bird would be a lot sicker overall. Those sorts of pests tend to suck blood, leaving a chicken lethargic and with a pale comb and wattles, and if it were something like that it certainly would have spread to the rest of the flock by this point (at least I would think it would). So yeah, I'm not much help, but I'm going through the same thing, although mine almost became soup today for going after a 2-day-old chick.

 

[Sandstorm495]

It could be mites or lice, but it the other hens could also be picking on it.
I don't think that they would pull that many feathers out of another hen though, so this is very unlikely.

 

[shannone730]

Should I start weaning out things and treat her for mites or lice and if so how do I do that?

 

[Debs55]

I'm having the same problem! I even treated for mites just incase and it didn't get any better. I've been seperating the bald ones and letting them grow their feathers back

 

[patvetzal]

I gave mine a good dose of DE , both on their backs and in the nests and litter in the coop, Hasn't seemed to make much difference but at least I no longer feel that it could be insects....