Lost most feathers, still has quills & very unhappy. Please help...

[California Ducken]

Feather loss is sometime due to not getting enough nutrition. You need to get lay crumble. Grains are a treat but shouldn't be their staple diet. They need the extra boost in the lay pellets to keep laying eggs and to stay healthy so they can keep producing for you. They do need extra calcium so their bodies don't take it from their bones.
There have been several posts on here that their birds were loosing feathers because they needed lay pellet or crumble. And they were only on grain.
Good Luck and keep us posted on the progress!

 

[dlhunicorn]

If she has been panting heavily then yes do put electrolytes in her waterer.
Some dog products (specifically shampoos or dissovable in water) are used on birds I have not come across this one (as normally used on birds). I googled it
http://www.purina.com.au/totalcare/productrange/flea/pyrethrins_flea_powder_for_dogs.html
and what I found says it is specifically a powder (product description says nothing to indicate it can be dissolved in water)
The product mentioned is not specifically for a bath and altho pyrethrin (normally ok to be used for birds in a fluid form as otherwise they preen and can ingest it) > I am wondering since this product doesnt dissolve in water if the bird has preened and ingested some of it.
I see also that it has additional ingredients, one of which is ROTENONE see here:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/resourceguide/mfs/11rotenone.php
Altho pyrethrins and sometimes rotenone are used to fight parasites in poultry (often as a dust or used to treat the housing against fowl mite etc) dusting a bird with it is different than how you have used it ... oral (ingestion and inhalation) toxicity of both is "highly acute" (which is why I am vERY careful with dusts and prefer to use a spray (pump not aerosol) and always cover their head/nares .
Why have you not consider a molt as the reason for the los of feathers?

 

[Moby]

I don't think its molt as she molted 4-5 months ago. She has lost nearly all feathers. Over the last few hours everything I have read points to De-pluming mites. I will pick up some layer pellets in the morning. She seems happy now sleeping in front of the heater. Thanks again for your help. I will get back tomorrow with a progress report.

 

[chickenbottom]

i think its a molt if she is eating right

 

[dlhunicorn]

nutritional support is crucial as an ill bird will not eat sufficiently or have malabsorption to one degree or another.
(you cna add baby parrot/bird formula to her feed to concentrate the nutritional content)
Ask your vet for ivermectine (you will get any worms too)
Was the last molt a full or partial molt? (it is quite possible that a bird will have a partial molt at 11/2 yrs and then a full molt at two)

 

[Judy]

It also sounds to me like she is not getting enough protein. They need a good source of protein to grow feathers. Besides the layer, I would supplement her protein with a little cooked meat or eggs, yogurt, shredded cheese, or any other protein source you can get into her. A vitamin supplement might be good, too.

Don't give electrolytes for too long. Probably need to offer a source of plain water as well and let her choose.

 

[Moby]

Ok,

Mrs Chicken seems weak this morning, walking as if she has been hitting the bottle!

Have fed her boiled egg and cheese. Will go to vet, worm her and get layer pellets.

Wish her luck!!!

 

[threehorses]

I'm with dawn on this. The diet that she's getting is very very much not what she needs.

Grains are high in phosphorus. Phosphorus is necessary for calcium absorbtion, but a full-grain diet will suck the calcium out of your birds - even out of their bones.

Unless you're highly experienced in designing a complete balanced ration for chickens, layers must be on a laying ration. It's cal/phos balanced and contains enough protein and other related ingredients to not only clothe the bird (feathers are their first line of defense) but allow the egg laying not to deplete their body.

Boiled egg and cheese won't do it long term. Yes, please buy some laying food and use the grains as 10% or less of their diet to keep the calcium balance good.

By the way, just providing them calcium supplements won't come near to providing enough for a bird to stay healthy and lay.

Please also don't worm her until you figure out what's wrong! She's too weak. You need to build her up first. I'd recommend ddawn's supplement to the laying pellets you're going to buy.

Make sure she eats. She might not like the pellets at first. try putting them in the blender if she doesn't.

Incidentally, also check her carefully for mites, etc, still. Did she have any? Did you see any when you bathed her?

Sounds to me like she's anemic from a possible infestation and an incorrect diet during which she layed admirably. It's ok that you were feeding her that way before - you apparently didn't know. So many people recommend grains because they're "natural". that's all well and good - if you are trained to design a complete feed. But scratch grains are only a treat. Complete rations are the way to go.

Honestly, I had a course in feed design, two courses in poultry nutrition, another course in aviculture and the total design of the avian body and its metabolism - and I even I feed complete feed.

I hope your bird does well. Please follow ddawn's feeding advice, and please let us know how she is. I'm sorry if I sounded a bit frantic - it's just that time's of the essence, as you well apparently know.

 

[California Ducken]

Any update this morning?
What did the vet say?

 

[California Ducken]

How about today? How is she doing?