Just curious!

[Linda V]

In July 2016, we bought two pullet Barred Rocks, however, they look so different from one another even now, we are curious if one may have something wrong with her.

The hen in my profile pic is Abigail. She has a "full figure" and lays
eggs that are dark brown with thick shells that are also "round" like she is...lol!

Henrietta is now tall, lean, missing all her butt feathers, under the tail, but skin looks fine. Her eggs are light colored and elongated. Shells mostly okay but not like Abby's!

Her coloring is no longer the same as Abby's either, so we would like to know what may be wrong with her...we are not even sure there is anything wrong with her, but she no longer looks the same as when we first got her in July of 2016.

Btw...they both get along great and love being together!!

Her appetite, activity level, interest in eating, drinking, etc., is identical in every way to Abigail's, so we are not sure what to think any more!

Thanks everyone!
LindaV 6/2017

Here are the pics. Hope they help! The girls will be 1-yr old next month and we got them together. Neither has molted yet.

I guess Henrietta is picking tiny bugs off Abigail's face? They do this a lot and both seem to enjoy it!

 

[Kiki]

Pictures?

 

[Linda V]

Thanks, but no, they are identical in every way except for one being tall & thin with a black patch on her back. I've got pics ready to load and send....nothing like doing this backwards....

 

[lazy gardener]

If you have chickens, you have to handle them. Do you have a cat, or dog? Can you imagine taking care of them without handling them? Any kids? Can you take care of them without handling them? Grab that girl up, put on rubber gloves if you feel the need, and give her a close inspection. Whether you find anything on her or not, I strongly suggest that you give her a good dusting or spray with a miticide. But, you can't do that without handling her, and parting the feathers to see to it that the product gets down to her skin. I agree, DE is a waste of time if there are parasites to be dealt with. As for your question about "Why is only one bird affected?" Research has shown that 10% of the animals in a flock harbor 90% of the parasites. A bird that is a parasite magnet most likely has an underlying health issue. She would be #1 on my cull list.

 

[Kiki]

Linda check these two posts out:

X3 on the permethrin, that's what I would use.

There is an "organic" "approved" for poultry pesticide called PyGanic. Double check that it treats mites.View attachment 1043501 View attachment 1043502 :

Mites don't stay on the birds, they hide out under roosts and in nestboxes, plus in every crack and crevice, coming out at night to dine on your poor birds. Completely treating the coop will go a long way to winning the battle but you will have to do it at least twice to break the cycle and clear up any stragglers. They can live for months without a meal so you need to kill them off.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Next time read through the entire thread before calling someone rude.
No one has been rude here except you, for name calling.

Excuse me?
I am not name calling, I am just pointing out that you where being a bit rude.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Could she be a Dominique instead of a barred rock?
After you post the pictures, we might know!

-The Angry Hen

 

[The Angry Hen]

Your welcome! Okay!

-The Angry Hen

 

[Linda V]

We couldn't tell them apart the first few months other than H had a black patch on her back...but now...omg! It's disconcerting to us but they both act, happy, hungry and have a paradise to live in!

 

[Linda V]

Yes, that's true. But some people can treat their chickens with DE if they are able to pick them up! I'm not one of them, however. Btw...I have studied very carefully her skin around all those bald areas...and none of them look anything like those nasty pics of hen's with ticks, mites, etc., Her skin is just bald....that's it. She laid a super nice egg yesterday, it surprised me! I'll get some coop spray this weekend for ticks/mites, etc., and put it in their sand nests, sandy bottom of their coop, etc., too.

Thanks again!