What would make feather colors change? I have Australorps and they all had the typical black feathers with the iridescent green. They all had a hard molt at the end of fall/early winter and 2 of them now have very dull brown/black feathers, no green at all, and missing feathers from their heads and parts of their bodies. Are the missing feathers related to the change in color? Completely unrelated? Should I be worried that their feathers have changed? Should I be worried that they are missing feathers? Are they being pecked by their sisters? I have no rooster. They are almost 2 years old and have all been raised together since birth. All are eating well and no one is being excluded when I give treats. Should I be worried?
Feathers changing color is normal??
- Thread starter Hyun
- Start date
Hi there. 
Could be parasites, are you able to post pics?
Where are you located and what are you feeding? How much space are they in?
Could be parasites, are you able to post pics?
Where are you located and what are you feeding? How much space are they in?
If they were my girls, I'd cook them up a batch of white rice & split peas, and after cooled, offer this as their treat for a few days. It will boost their lysine & methionine amino acids, which birds use to build/rebuild feathers. As with all treats, feed this as no more than 10% of their diet.
- Thread starter
- #4
I am in NC, just outside Charlotte. I did look one over and I don't see anything on them. This has been going on for several months and I have checked them several times over this time. They get organic chicken crumble from tractor supply store and they get treats of dry meal worms every other day. It's getting warmer here so I will start including frozen fruit daily but even that is about 3 cups shared bin 7 girls. I can take a pic but need time. These 2 are not the ones that stamp their feet and sit when I approach...they run.Hi there.
Could be parasites, are you able to post pics?
Where are you located and what are you feeding? How much space are they in?
They are in a run. It is all dirt right now. They will have access to another section that has grass but it isn't available right now bc it isn't covered and I have hawks that like to stalk my girls. Could that be it?
I'll post a pic of the girls when I can.
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- #5
Lol..I first read this as you telling me to cook my girls..
I will definitely try this. I would just like to know why their feathers have changed colors though and if the loss of feathers is related to the color change or if their sisters are pecking them.
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- #6
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I don't think it's the hawk. I have those also.. but my birds hardly notice their presence since they are sitting there silently waiting to ambush. So the girls notice when they fly into the tree but quickly get distracted and go about their business.
It definitely could be influenced by the dirt... maybe the lighter girls are dirt bathing more? Also, YES... feathers do lighten sometimes with molt and get more so every year... but since all are individuals it may not be exactly the same amount. If you were actively breeding, these would be the things you would be selecting for. The less shiny gals may not be absorbing nutrients exactly the same as they did when they were younger.
The balding is definitely not normal and not molting... It does appear as though it could be picking by others or maybe even just excess cleaning/preening.
Unfortunately, depluming mites are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye. They will never be seen, only their evidence. I'm just mentioning this as a possibility... though they aren't super common... They can be treated using pour on Ivermectin... which is not currently approved for use in poultry and does not have a lot of information on egg withdrawal requirements. Topical treatments that don't become systemic such as Permethrin, my usual preferred treatment for lice or mites won't work well for deplumning or scaly leg mites. Also, some mites like Red... only come out to feed on the birds and don't actually live on them. The best time to get a real picture of parasite activity is after they have gone to roost at night and using a flashlight part feathers right below the vent and look for things running away form the light. Also take note if what you see is typical like pink colored skin or is it angry and red? Pink is good, red means something is off.
What you have, *looks* like flock antics... to me. Maybe get a look at who roost where and kinda pay attention to their behavior to see if you can come up with any suspects.
Ha, my hubby's Korean birth name is also Hyun, but he goes by John since he came to the US when he was 12.
One more possibility... if there was a small brawl or short period that had the feather picking going on... AND it HAS ceased... it's still possible the feathers would not grow back in until the next molt... even if the problem no longer exists.
That isn't "typical" of parasite damage I have seen. I do learn something new all the time and see things I would never have expected.
- Thread starter
- #8
I don't think it's the hawk. I have those also.. but my birds hardly notice their presence since they are sitting there silently waiting to ambush. So the girls notice when they fly into the tree but quickly get distracted and go about their business.
It definitely could be influenced by the dirt... maybe the lighter girls are dirt bathing more? Also, YES... feathers do lighten sometimes with molt and get more so every year... but since all are individuals it may not be exactly the same amount. If you were actively breeding, these would be the things you would be selecting for. The less shiny gals may not be absorbing nutrients exactly the same as they did when they were younger.
The balding is definitely not normal and not molting... It does appear as though it could be picking by others or maybe even just excess cleaning/preening.
Unfortunately, depluming mites are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye. They will never be seen, only their evidence. I'm just mentioning this as a possibility... though they aren't super common... They can be treated using pour on Ivermectin... which is not currently approved for use in poultry and does not have a lot of information on egg withdrawal requirements. Topical treatments that don't become systemic such as Permethrin, my usual preferred treatment for lice or mites won't work well for deplumning or scaly leg mites. Also, some mites like Red... only come out to feed on the birds and don't actually live on them. The best time to get a real picture of parasite activity is after they have gone to roost at night and using a flashlight part feathers right below the vent and look for things running away form the light. Also take note if what you see is typical like pink colored skin or is it angry and red? Pink is good, red means something is off.
What you have, *looks* like flock antics... to me. Maybe get a look at who roost where and kinda pay attention to their behavior to see if you can come up with any suspects.
Ha, my hubby's Korean birth name is also Hyun, but he goes by John since he came to the US when he was 12.
One more possibility... if there was a small brawl or short period that had the feather picking going on... AND it HAS ceased... it's still possible the feathers would not grow back in until the next molt... even if the problem no longer exists.
That isn't "typical" of parasite damage I have seen. I do learn something new all the time and see things I would never have expected.
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate all the information you have shared. I will see if I can add more to their diet to help supplement in some way. Another person on here recommended rice and split pea...I'm willing to tru anything. I rarely, if ever (since teaching them to go into the coop at night when they were juveniles), go out there after dark so I will take a trip out there and take a look for any critters. That's interesting about the feathers not growing back until the next molt.
I came to the US when I was almost 5 yrs and I am female. My name is very common but clearly, can be used for both genders but not bc it's gender neutral but bc of what other name you pair it with. Buuuuuuut I don't need to explain that you since you probably already know.
Thanks again.
I always think of rice as an empty filler with little to no nutrients. Interesting to see it suggest as a source of amino acids... or is it suggested as a carrier for the amino acids in the peas? Also, wonder if the split peas are supposed to be cooked or raw.
I personally would rather use a supplement like Poultry Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster brand Poultry Cell, which would add some amino acids and other vitamins without disrupting their normal nutrients or adding empty calories. I would also consider switching to higher protein feed before adding rice and peas (this is me personally, I'm not saying that was a bad suggestion as I haven't researched it. Here in the US we have access to lot of things that peep in other countries may not.) I like to use 20% protein Purina flock raiser. But would also consider using any non medicated starter... If you look at the tags they have those amino acid level listed. Honestly dual purpose birds like Australorp will do good on about 18% protein verses a standard "layer" ration. I personally would add in turkey or game bird starter short term, before peas and rice. They are usually around 24-30% protein and higher in amino acids than chicken feed.
3 cups per day of frozen fruit does seem excessive to me for 7 birds. Since my birds free range though, I realize I don't have full control over what they consume. Maybe adding frozen peas to your mix will boost it some??
The meal worms should also be providing some protein and amino acids. I would go easy on them as they are very high in fat...
http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm#freeze
Ultimately even if you do everything right, some individuals may require extra help.
jlw484
In the Brooder
The feather changes the color depends on the which food that you give to your chickens, some food has high protein or some have less. If you need to know more about how to feed chickens, check this article: https://atbuz.com/post/feed-chickens/
Of check this for how to feed laying hens here: https://atbuz.com/post/feed-laying-hens/
Of check this for how to feed laying hens here: https://atbuz.com/post/feed-laying-hens/
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