Hen losing feathers, no visible lice or mites

[michelestapley]

Our 2 year old Isa Brown hen has been losing feathers for around 6 months now. These photos are of her on the roost tonight (please excuse the low quality). I can’t see any sign of mites or lice. I can see blood around some of the feathers though.

Do you think one of the other hens might be pecking at her?

Protein deficiency perhaps?

Any other ideas?

Our other hens seem to be healthy. No other problems.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have a rooster?

I see a lot of broken and stripped feathers. Does she preen a lot or pick a herself?
It could be that the other hens are plucking/picking at her, but I would also treat her for feather mites (you cannot see these with the naked eye)

Since you are in AU, you may need to find a vet for some Ivermectin.

Consider separating her for a while to let her rest/recover or at least observe your flock, especially when they are roosting - somebody is pecking her causing the wounds or she is picking at herself. You can apply a little BluKote to the scabs to help those heal up. Any complete feather loss, she will grow back in, but those broken and stripped feathers won't be lost and replaced until she goes through her yearly molt.

 

[michelestapley]

Do you have a rooster?

I see a lot of broken and stripped feathers. Does she preen a lot or pick a herself?
It could be that the other hens are plucking/picking at her, but I would also treat her for feather mites (you cannot see these with the naked eye)

Since you are in AU, you may need to find a vet for some Ivermectin.

Consider separating her for a while to let her rest/recover or at least observe your flock, especially when they are roosting - somebody is pecking her causing the wounds or she is picking at herself. You can apply a little BluKote to the scabs to help those heal up. Any complete feather loss, she will grow back in, but those broken and stripped feathers won't be lost and replaced until she goes through her yearly molt.

Thanks for your input. I think you’re right as far as the other hens pecking at her. I watched the dominant hen draw blood after pecking at a wing. I’ll separate her tomorrow.

What’s your advice on her being away from the flock? Should I keep her close by in a separate pen? Or move her away entirely? Any idea on how long she might need to be isolated?

Thanks in advance.

 

[michelestapley]

Thanks for your input. I think you’re right as far as the other hens pecking at her. I watched the dominant hen draw blood after pecking at a wing. I’ll separate her tomorrow.

What’s your advice on her being away from the flock? Should I keep her close by in a separate pen? Or move her away entirely? Any idea on how long she might need to be isolated?

Thanks in advance.

No rooster.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for your input. I think you’re right as far as the other hens pecking at her. I watched the dominant hen draw blood after pecking at a wing. I’ll separate her tomorrow.

What’s your advice on her being away from the flock? Should I keep her close by in a separate pen? Or move her away entirely? Any idea on how long she might need to be isolated?

Thanks in advance.

It is best to cage/kennel her with the flock if at all possible so you don't have re-integration problems. If you have enough run space a dog kennel works very well - she can have her own food/water, but she is somewhat protected from the flock.
I would still let her out about an hour or so before roosting time and let her roost with the others - at least try that and see how it goes. A lot of times a caged bird will gain confidence to defend themselves better, but a lot depends on their personality.

Sometimes a bully hen may need to be separated - but she would need to be placed away from the flock - the goal is to take her down a couple of notches in the pecking order, but a strong willed hen usually works her way back to the top in a matter of hours sometimes. The worry would also be, once you remove the offender, the next one in line takes up her bad habits of picking on this girl.

The one thing I've learned with chickens - they don't always act as expected - LOL You may have to try different things to find what works for you - even up to culling a nasty hen that you just cannot correct - that sounds harsh, but some hens are mean and can cause a great deal of stress within the flock.

As far a how long to keep her "separated", you will have to use your best judgement on that. See if she is content to be caged, some go absolutely bonkers - give her a couple of hours to see if she settles down - one of mine that was hurt just loved being caged I did not take the kennel out for a couple of days, even after she had healed and she would go set herself up in the kennel looking like she was the queen of the cage. Another one - she couldn't stand it at all.

Anyway - hopefully this will give her time to heal up - she won't grow those wing feathers in until she molts, since the shaft is still intact. She may benefit from a saddle when you let her back out full time - it may discourage picking.

 

[michelestapley]

Thanks for your helpful advice.

Much appreciated.