Feathers

Amy 4

In the Brooder
May 20, 2018
18
9
21
I have a Sussex chicken (which are usually white) and her feathers have gone a bit yellow. What causes this? How can I fix this?
 
Pictures?

Have you tried giving her a bath to see if they are just stained or dirty? my white hens turn yellowish when they get really dirty.
 
Pictures?

Have you tried giving her a bath to see if they are just stained or dirty? my white hens turn yellowish when they get really dirty.
Yes we had a old baby bath lying about so I filled it with soil and put it in there coop this has made her feather a little less yellow but they where are still tinted
 
I have read that corn in the feed causes the yellowing as does sunshine.

My light Brahma is still white and she is in the sun a lot.

:idunno
They have not been given any corn yet and we just finished the outside part of the coop and they only got our for the first time today so it shouldn’t be the sun. It’s a on going mysterious this one but thanks for the help.
 
Yes we had a old baby bath lying about so I filled it with soil and put it in there coop this has made her feather a little less yellow but they where are still tinted
That's pretty weird then, maybe try putting baking soda paste on her feathers then washing it off with Castille soap (the hypoallergenic scent free bar that you can get at most farm stores) this is what I do to my white horse who also turns a yellow colour sometimes.

Other than that I can't think of what it could be.:confused:
 
That's pretty weird then, maybe try putting baking soda paste on her feathers then washing it off with Castille soap (the hypoallergenic scent free bar that you can get at most farm stores) this is what I do to my white horse who also turns a yellow colour sometimes.

Other than that I can't think of what it could be.:confused:
Ok thanks very much I will try it on the weekend.
 
Welcome to BYC @Amy 4 !

They have not been given any corn yet and we just finished the outside part of the coop and they only got our for the first time today so it shouldn’t be the sun. It’s a on going mysterious this one but thanks for the help.
Not sure corn has anything to do with white feathers yellowing, but chances are the feed you use is probably mostly corn, if you look at the fine print in the tag sewn into the bottom of the bag...it could just say 'grain products', but the yellowish color of most feed tells the tale.

How old are these birds?
Washing a bird, especially with any soap, will remove all the oils it so painstakingly applied to all it's feathers to keep them water resistant.
Now that I think of it, wonder of the yellowing is 'old' oil?
Guess if you wash it off, that might answer that question?
 
Agreed with Aart, however, I would not wash a chicken unless it is really, truly necessary. Several days ago, I had a hen jump up to get a fly off a fly ribbon I had in the coop. Yep, you can figure out the rest of the tale. The ribbon came down, ended up getting wrapped around the bird, across her back, under a wing, across her chest, with the end dangling between her legs. She was a sorry, sticky mess when I found her. I clipped/pulled the ribbon off, used some vegetable oil to try to dissolve the remaining sticky glue in her feathers, and turned her loose. I'm sure she was the same bird I've seen for the past 2 days hanging out in the dust bath! Oil + sticky + dust bath = :sick. But, I've no doubt that she will eventually get herself cleaned up. I consider that approach to be less harmful to the bird than actually giving her a bath.
 
I've also heard that it can be from the sun or corn. Also heard it could be staining/dirt, damaged feathers, or genetics. I think as long as your bird is healthy you should just let her be. The only reason I would see to give a bath would be if you are showing her.
 

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