Horizontal lines on tail feathers.

Annie1111

Hatching
Dec 28, 2017
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I have a rescue hen. It was one of 3 that I rescued several years ago. That others have passed on with one remaining. With unseasonably warm weather where we live she molted late this year and is still showing signs of molt with some pin feathers around the neck and some feather sheath dust. Its finally dropped in temp here and to a really bitter low single digits so I brought her in to be more comfortable while the cold snap is happening. She got a spa bath today and when I was blowdrying her I noticed her tail feathers are some what ragged and they had these distinct horizontal lines in them? is this a sign of something in particular?
 

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Welcome to BYC! Hope you enjoy Backyardchickens as much as we all do.
This look split.....its pretty normal i think.... if she's been in fights and harsh weather and such....
 
Thanks I checked for mites and lice and didn't see anything. She is really quite flakey though also. More than usual. Those lines that run across the feathers I have never seen for sure. No fights. But cold weather yes.
 
i have seen this before on a bird given high doses of medication
but i cant remember what....
i wonder if it was @casportpony or @Ravynscroft that was also on that thread
Fret marks. Can be caused by stress, feed issues, and wormers like Safeguard and Valbazen.
 
The horizontal lines you are seeing are an indication of interruption of nutrient flow during the feather growth phase. The tattering at the end of the feathers would most likely be due to the bird perhaps being crowded on the roost. Is it possible that her tail feathers can touch the back wall behind the roost? If the birds are pig piling, or perhaps spending extra time in a nest box, perhaps one that is on the small side, that might also cause the tail feather tattering. If you can get extra protein into these birds, that will be beneficial.
 
"3/ fenbendazole- a useful drug, has the disadvantage that it and other drugs in the same group cannot be used during moulting otherwise a ‘fret mark’ will form in the feathers that were growing at the time of treatment."
Source: http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/Articles/Race_Form_Part3.html
 
Fret marks. Can be caused by stress, feed issues, and wormers like Safeguard and Valbazen.

"3/ fenbendazole- a useful drug, has the disadvantage that it and other drugs in the same group cannot be used during moulting otherwise a ‘fret mark’ will form in the feathers that were growing at the time of treatment."
Source: http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/Articles/Race_Form_Part3.html

X2 all that, lol...

Fret marks are just visual marring... shredded, ragged, chewed on feathers *can* lead to temp regulation issues, especially when it is cold...
 

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