Leghorn - sick or just molting?

[K10mitten]

One of my chickens is not looking so hot compared to the others. She has yellowed around her ears, her comn is pale/dry looking, and her feathers aren't looking hot either. I did find some excess feathers on the poop hammock though, so it makes me wonder if it's molt or if she's sick? This would be the first since her teenager chicken times (got in April, it's now December, so 8 months old). It is winter and we have had some extremely cold weather in Michigan so I'm wondering if she isn't handling it as well as the others. She is acting normal, eating, running around, playing chicken, etc.

Thanks!

 

[BantamLover21]

She's probably beginning to molt, or at least stopping egg production temporarily. When hens stop laying, it is common for their combs to shrink and for them to become a little less glossy overall. The yellowing of the earlobe is nothing to be concerned about--it can happen due to a variety of factors, including genetics, diet, and age of bird.

 

[K10mitten]

Today when I checked on her I noticed she has blood all over her rear. Looks like broken feathers. I brought her inside and isolated her to assess further. I know chickens can be mean when they see red and peck others. What should I do now? Clean her up and put her back out there? I read in other posts to pluck the feathers - ouch! She is acting normally, put some cracked corn in front of her for a treat (poor thing) and she's pleased as punch chowing away.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Clean up the wound the best you can. Apply some triple antibiotic ointment or Vetericyn to the wounds. If you have Blu-Kote that will work as well - it will help hide to wounds too.

Only pluck out the feather(s) if you can't get one to stop bleeding.

Only you can determine why she is being picked on and if it is "safe" to put her back with the flock. IMHO not enough space is the top cause of being picked on. How much room/space do you have in your coop (sq.ft.) , include how much roosting space as well, and how many birds are housed in it. Do you have a run or free range (how much room)?

Let us know how she is doing.

 

[K10mitten]

The Run area is 16 ft by 6 ft and the coop itself is 4x6 with 3 foot ceiling. She is doing better but we still haven't put her back in with the others yet just in case. Watching the chickens it looks like they might be attacking each other waiting to take turns out of the 5 gallon bucket feeder so we will try adding another feeder hole to the bucket. Thanks for your reply.

 

[theuglychick]

Molting was really hard on my birds this year. They looked and felt like porcupines! I had a few I thought were dead for sure and one I even named Lazarus because she seemingly died and came back. The only thing that helped those that were laying on the ground was spoon-feeding them yogurt mixed with honey. It perked them right back up and all are healthy and happy. Hope this helps.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The Run area is 16 ft by 6 ft and the coop itself is 4x6 with 3 foot ceiling. She is doing better but we still haven't put her back in with the others yet just in case. Watching the chickens it looks like they might be attacking each other waiting to take turns out of the 5 gallon bucket feeder so we will try adding another feeder hole to the bucket. Thanks for your reply.

Adding another hole to the feeder or possibly another feed station would be helpful for sure. Sometimes space is an issue, so keep watch on them.

Try to keep them busy as well. Hang some greens, apple or a cabbage, provide them with some perches or something to "climb on" in the run. There are several articles here on BYC and the web that have some good ideas - look for "boredom busters".

If you are keeping her separated, keep in mind you may need to re-integrate her if she is kept out too long, the others may view her as new or an intruder, there are also some good tips on re-integrating a lone/injured chicken here on BYC as well.