Feathers falling out??

[PennyM16]

My Rhode Island Red’s feathers are coming out in clumps- should I be concerned??? She’s pretty old, and it doesn’t seem like molting .-. Never seen this before. Could it be some sort of mites/lice? There’s no blood or anything, they’re just coming out in clumps. Please help!

 

[azygous]

Does she have large bald areas where no new pin feathers appear? Or do you see pin feathers coming in on the back of her neck and butt and back?

It's not too early for fall molt to begin in the norther hemisphere is that's where "the chicken coop" is located.

 

[PennyM16]

Does she have large bald areas where no new pin feathers appear? Or do you see pin feathers coming in on the back of her neck and butt and back?

It's not too early for fall molt to begin in the norther hemisphere is that's where "the chicken coop" is located.

Yes she does have bald areas. I don’t think it’s molting, they aren’t coming out slowly one by one and new ones coming in they’re literally coming out in clumps

 

[azygous]

Lice wouldn't cause this, but mites could. You'd need to investgate the perches at night to see if there are mites coming out to feed on the chickens.

If she's the only one this is happening to, it's likely she has a health issue. Is she behaving all right? Or is she slowing down? Is her comb pale and floppy? Does she have a fatty bulge between her legs or below her vent? Any red, inflamed skin?

 

[PennyM16]

Lice wouldn't cause this, but mites could. You'd need to investgate the perches at night to see if there are mites coming out to feed on the chickens.

If she's the only one this is happening to, it's likely she has a health issue. Is she behaving all right? Or is she slowing down? Is her comb pale and floppy? Does she have a fatty bulge between her legs or below her vent? Any red, inflamed skin?

I will check for those things. Last night I checked their perch for mites and did not find any, only dust on it. It appears to be just her, I did not see anything on the others. What kind of health issue?? Is it serious? She was behaving fine last I checked on her (last night) she is pretty old, a little over 5 years

 

[PennyM16]

i offered her a piece of my bagel and she wouldn’t take it, which is strange because normally she’ll eat anything like that especially if it’s from me...also her poop is runny and somewhat orangey. She also has two of her toes kind of curling and one with a little lump on it. What’s up with that??? I checked for fatty lumps between her legs and under her vent like you said and both felt normal. Her feathers also stopped coming out. Weird!

 

[azygous]

Can we have a photo of that poop?

Just as it's impossible to determine what is making a human feel lethargic, tired, and have no appetite, it's also not possible to tell you what could be causing the health issue that could cause feathers to fall out.

It could be a simple dietary deficiency. She may have protein needs that aren't being sufficiently met, either by a poorly balanced feed or by diluting the protein in her diet with too many treats.

 

[PennyM16]

Can we have a photo of that poop?

Just as it's impossible to determine what is making a human feel lethargic, tired, and have no appetite, it's also not possible to tell you what could be causing the health issue that could cause feathers to fall out.

It could be a simple dietary deficiency. She may have protein needs that aren't being sufficiently met, either by a poorly balanced feed or by diluting the protein in her diet with too many treats.

Yes I will go get one. Also, she is not at all lethargic. She is acting perfectly fine other than rejecting a treat.

 

[PennyM16]

Ok- ignore the dirt and scratch on it, that is not part of the dropping it just got kicked onto it

 

[PennyM16]

I also gave her a seed and worm scratch that she is eating I figured that has lots of protein