Feathers missing and antisocial

[Birdsong 82]

Morning all. For about a week now my hen has been missing her longer tail feathers. Thought it was strange but checked her and found no wounds and everything looked great back there. She was acting fine until yesterday morning I found her sleeping alone in the doghouse in this morning sleeping alone in the nesting box. Yesterday she didn't want to be around any of the other hens. Ever since her tail feathers were missing I've been watching them when I'm home and I haven't seen anybody plucking at her or any aggression. I did notice when she came out of the doghouse yesterday morning there were a lot of feathers left behind. This morning she didn't even get up at the same time as the others to eat. She still sitting in the nesting box staring at the corner

 

[Farm boy 14]

She might be going bloody. But not sure

 

[Farm boy 14]

She might be going bloody. But not sure

iI meant to say broody
.

 

[Birdsong 82]

She will come out and free range but kind of keep to herself. I just checked on her again before I left for work and she has come out and is eating her. But it's very odd for any of my girls not to sleep by the rooster

 

[staceyj]

Feel under her tummy and along the sides of her breasts.
Is she naked under there?
In the nest, does she look hunkered down and kind of flattened like she has no neck ... like a marshmallow peep? Lol
If you force her out of the nestbox does she nip at your hand or growl like something hurts?
Once she's out of the nestbox, is she floofed up looking twice as poofy as the other girls while walking along?
Is she cluck cluck clucking to herself like she's complaining?
These are all signs I missed!

 

[Birdsong 82]

She's definitely not puffed up and she came out of the nesting box on her own and it's not a nesting box anyone usually Lays in. And when I got her out of the doghouse yesterday morning she didn't bet me and she hasn't been making extra noise otherwise. She just goes and stands there by herself. She'll come out of the run to free range but then just go stand under a tree by herself And then comes back again in the evening and goes off on her own. Either in the doghouse or an empty nest box

 

[Birdsong 82]

A picture of her tail before and after

 

[staceyj]

Sounds like she isn't feeling well then.
Thoughts:
Check for mites/lice
Worms?
Egg bound?
Anyone picking on her?
Going into a molt?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

How old is she? If she is over a year old she is probably moulting. Some chickens cope fine and act like nothing is amiss and others take it rather badly. It happens during their second autumn, usually around 16-18 months old and annually thereafter and sometimes it will look like they lost half their feathers overnight and others will just lose a few here and there. I have some sitting around looking sorry for themselves at the moment and others that are just getting on with it.
That said, it is important to observe them closely to ensure that they are eating and drinking properly and perhaps give such birds special higher protein treats like egg or meat and give them a thorough examination to make sure there is nothing else obviously amiss..... check the crop to make sure it is full at night and empty first thing the next morning. Check her vent to make sure she is not struggling to lay an egg and/or there is no unusual swelling. Check poop for colour and consistency. A faecal egg count(done by a vet or an independent lab) may help to identify an internal parasite problem or rule it out.
Get back to us with more information once you have looked into these options.

Good luck with her

Regards

Barbara

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with Rebra. I'm guessing she's molting.