Help me health-check my chickens

[orloffer]

Hello chicken eggsperts!
I would appreciate it if you would give some input as to how my chickens are looking (health-wise), based on the photos I managed to capture of them. Here is some information about them, and I will add in more photos if needed:

General information:
--I have five hens, and since they have eaten all the grass in our yard, they are being confined to the run until it grows back sufficiently. They are not happy about it, as their run is not very large and contains only dirt for substrate, but they have managed so far.
--They are given access to oyster shell and grit, and eat Scratch and Peck 16 % protein Layer feed.
--None of them, at least to a recognizable extent, have gone through a major molt.
--Their run is a dog kennel, which I want to say is 6x8.

Observations:
--I have noticed, probably over the last month or so?, that our Speckled Sussex is lacking a bit in proper feathering on her lower back. There are smaller gray feathers, but new feathers do not seem to be growing in. This is a bit of a concern to me.
--I think their combs are a little paler than they were in the past. I have read that they become pale when molting/about to molt, and from heat stress, etc., but I am not sure if they are about to molt.
--Orloff seems to be lacking a few feathers in the neck area (again, could it be that they are going to molt?)
--The Easter Egger, named Ameraucana, looks like she was pecked close to her eye. I am not sure whether it is visible in the pictures. Also she always has a very full crop that feels rather hard at the end of the day.
-Yesterday, when I collected eggs at the end of the day, I found one outside the nest box. It was in one of their 2 "chicken holes," which they carved into the ground to sit and dust bathe in. It was slightly cracked, but not broken. I am fairly sure this is because all five of them have to share one nest box, but have no clue as to at what time it was laid. (It is a cat litter box. We don't have space for another one in the run, though I know they would appreciate another very much).

What do you think? Again, all advice is appreciated, and let me know if I am over-worrying.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you should google feather mites. I have never had them, and of course just looking at your pictures. But I think some of those feathers look like feather mite infestation. A place to start.

 

[orloffer]

Thank you; I will look into the possibility of feather mites.

 

[Miss Bree]

I would also google chicken lice. I’m dealing with a similar situation myself. I’ve been giving my hens a bath in DE one a week for three weeks and cleaning there coop. Make sure they have access to dust bathing also. I would do some research too. Hope this helped

 

[orloffer]

Thank you for the response! I will continue researching.

 

[orloffer]

Does having mice/lice change a chicken's behaviour in general, or towards each other?

 

[orloffer]

If so, they are not acting irritated or anything.

 

[aart]

As long as they are eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK, I'd not worry much.
I takes way more than folks looking at pics to determine a birds health.

How long have you had these birds and how old are they (in months)?
If they are over a year old, their feathers might be looking ragged but they should molt this fall.
Dimensions and pics of the coop and run, inside and out, might help here.
How do their poops look?
Paying attention to poops can tell a lot about what's going on inside said bird.

Also she always has a very full crop that feels rather hard at the end of the day

They should 'go to bed' with a full crop.
Is it empty in the morning?
Check early in the morning before birds eats and drinks.

This is how I check over a bird that might have issues:
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.


My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[orloffer]

Thank you for your response, @aart.

How long have you had these birds and how old are they (in months)?

The birds are all around 13 months old, and we have had them since they were chicks.

If they are over a year old, their feathers might be looking ragged but they should molt this fall.

This is good to know, thank you.

Dimensions and pics of the coop and run, inside and out, might help here.
How do their poops look?

The coop and run are separated, meaning we have to move each bird to and from the run manually. The run is a walk-in dog kennel, 6 x 10', and the coop (former temporary rabbit hutch) is, I believe, 3.5 x 5.5.

They should 'go to bed' with a full crop.
Is it empty in the morning?
Check early in the morning before birds eats and drinks.

I think it is empty in the morning; I am just always surprised by how full a crop can be.

How do their poops look?
Paying attention to poops can tell a lot about what's going on inside said bird.

Their poops look normal.

Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Not yet. I don't think they have either type, because they would likely all have them and I would notice.
I have attached below a picture of the run before we added a weatherproof tarp roof over the top (subject is obscured by a gray oval), and a very small, very low-quality picture of the coop (I have no better one). You can see the edge of the coop in the picture of the run.

 

[aart]

Not yet. I don't think they have either type, because they would likely all have them and I would notice.

Start checking them.
The only way I knew my birds had lice was when I slaughtered my first cockerel,
he was just covered with them and I had never noticed until I went to skin him.
Then I checked the rest and most of them had quite a few.

3.5 x 5.5.

That's tight space for 5 birds.