Hello, All! I am a new member and I would like some imput from any or all members. I have a hen who is about 10months old. We live in St. Louis , MO. and have had a rough winter so far. I noticed that Thunder, one of my little boys named her, had many feathers missing from her posterior region. Some of the feathers, are blood feathers. The color of her skin was not very good and she was having trouble pooping. We were very worried and tookk her a vet. she took an xray to make sure she was not egg bound. They also tested her for worms and parasites which was negative. It turned out that she was impacted with poop. They gave her a IV and cleared out the poop and cleaned the area. They gave me a cream to put in the area and I am to give her yogurt twice daily. I was also instructed to give her and the other hens some organic field greens. I was told to do this to supplement since they have not been able to forage much due to it being winter and the snow. she also told me to keep her somewhere warm and quiet away from her sisters. She seems to be doing much better but she is losing feathers from all over her body. I was wondering if this is normal and how long it will last. I thought it may have been from the stress of her being constipated and dehydrated. I wanted to also ask when I might be able to put her back with the other hens. I did not know what to look for because I do not want to do it too soon. Is there anything to do for stress? Thank you to anyone that answers.
Sounds like she might be molting. I have some young pullets who are doing a slow body molt right now - they look rough and ragged. Are you offering her grit? It should be offered free choice to all your girls. To help with the constipation you can add water to her daily food. This is something I do with my birds. I wet some feed with warm water and the chickens really like it.
