Long sheaths on feathers

[Jenny7]

I have a chicken named Frank that’s feathers grew in fully sheathed. At around 3 or 4 weeks old I noticed the chicks head slouching. I separated it from the flock and babied it back to health. Eventually it was able to raise its head again but took a very long time to grow feathers. The feathers that did come in are fully sheathed. Do you think it’s just because of the neck issues, she can’t reach to get the sheath off or??? Any help appreciated. At 14 weeks old I have it separated from the flock but I can’t do that forever.

 

[Jenny7]

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[Perris]

retention of the sheath like that is affecting one of my birds too, a 5 year old roo, who developed it after a serious infection of some sort last summer. I haven't yet found an explanation for it. A particular virus causes this (amongst other things) in Antipodean parrots, but that's probably just coincidence.

If your bird has had this since first feathering, and made it to 14 weeks, whatever caused it is probably not going to kill them, and your bird may well have acquired resistance to the disease or infection. If the other birds don't pick on it, I would put it back with them; they are social creatures and get depressed if isolated.

It would normally grow several sets of juvenile feathers while growing up; has that been the case, and the retained sheaths keep coming? Just in that area? Maybe the problem will sort itself out at a proper moult.

I helped my roo by brushing him with a little pin brush (designed for guinea pigs) and a soft bristle shoe brush, which worked better than anything I else I tried to break the keratin coating and release the feathers. A few remain on his tail, as we'd both had enough by then and he doesn't seem bothered by them. I posted a photo of what came off through that brushing on another thread, here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/post-27253795

btw, welcome to BYC @Jenny7

 

[Jenny7]

retention of the sheath like that is affecting one of my birds too, a 5 year old roo, who developed it after a serious infection of some sort last summer. I haven't yet found an explanation for it. A particular virus causes this (amongst other things) in Antipodean parrots, but that's probably just coincidence.

If your bird has had this since first feathering, and made it to 14 weeks, whatever caused it is probably not going to kill them, and your bird may well have acquired resistance to the disease or infection. If the other birds don't pick on it, I would put it back with them; they are social creatures and get depressed if isolated.

It would normally grow several sets of juvenile feathers while growing up; has that been the case, and the retained sheaths keep coming? Just in that area? Maybe the problem will sort itself out at a proper moult.

I helped my roo by brushing him with a little pin brush (designed for guinea pigs) and a soft bristle shoe brush, which worked better than anything I else I tried to break the keratin coating and release the feathers. A few remain on his tail, as we'd both had enough by then and he doesn't seem bothered by them. I posted a photo of what came off through that brushing on another thread, here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/post-27253795

btw, welcome to BYC @Jenny7

Yes! That’s exactly what it would look like if I did that. Okay, you’ve made me brave enough to try! I bet he did get a virus of some sort, do you think I should take him to the vet to be sure so he doesn’t get the rest of my flock sick? I worry about him picking up something else at the vet Thank you so much!!!! You’ve made my day with your response.

 

[Perris]

Yes! That’s exactly what it would look like if I did that. Okay, you’ve made me brave enough to try! I bet he did get a virus of some sort, do you think I should take him to the vet to be sure so he doesn’t get the rest of my flock sick? I worry about him picking up something else at the vet Thank you so much!!!! You’ve made my day with your response.

Glad to be of some assistance.

I wouldn't bother with the vet myself; very few of them know much about chickens in general and very unusual conditions in particular, viruses can't be treated with antibiotics, and it would appear that whatever your bird had, he has since got over it, so no treatment required (even if one were available).

I imagine that the rest of the flock were exposed to it when he was, so I wouldn't be concerned about him passing it on either. None of the rest of my flock have it though they have shared the environment - even food bowls - with my roo since he got it 8 months ago. Most of yours and mine evidently have more robust immune systems than the individuals who succumbed to it.

But if he has been separated from the rest for a long time, as seemed to be indicated in your other post (which I read after posting on this one), then you will need to be careful with integration and take it slow and steady for a couple of weeks.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Being in a flock will help with the sheathing problem too, they preen each other on the roost and will help break it apart. At least once he's been integrated back in.