Hen losing weight and pale waddles

[kraul]

We have a Wyandot hen hatched in March 2022 she is losing feathers and has pale waddles. Just looking I see she is much smaller that she was. She is still eating and drinking. No breathing issues. Still runs when we give the flock a treat and eats it. We looked for Mites and lice did not see any. Her droppings look normal. We did a deworming a week ago with a single dose of the broad Sprectum I read about here Safeguard for goats and researched the dose amount and gave it directly to her. Looking to see if there are any other steps we could take. She is not bullied and the other chickens look good. She has not looked right for 4 to 6 weeks.

Thanks for any insight

 

[MysteryChicken]

Pictures?

The loss of feathers, paleness, & weight loss sounds like she molting.

 

[kraul]

Pictures?

The loss of feathers, paleness, & weight loss sounds like she molting.

I will try to get pictures. Can they molt before 1 year of age? I was not sure about that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some pullets and cockerels skip the molt their first fall/winter, some do not. They can molt before they are a year old.

That's what it sounds like. When they are molting they typically stop laying and their combs turn pale. They should not lose weight when molting but some hens have a lot of fluffy feathers. When they lose enough feathers you can see how small their body really is and you think they have lost weight.

 

[TimonHens]

I'm wondering if this is what I am experiencing. My surviving early layer is looking pale and smaller today and her head was a bit pinny seeming. Has not stopped laying since since September and never had a first molt. With all the freezes and thaws I can't blame her for the confusion, but I do worry I have missed something else.