Molt Malfunction or Parasites?! Please answer if you can. I feel sick.

[Kiki]

I don't know what it is. I am guessing.

 

[AmyJane725]

I don't know what it is. I am guessing.

That's fine. I feel like if it was some sort of parasite you'd know right away. I don't think there's too many super rare obscure ones of which nobody has ever heard. I just hope somebody can provide a positive ID of the issue, just for my mental wellbeing.

 

[azygous]

It doesn't appear to be from any parasite.

Are the new feathers coming in normal in appearance? How old are these chickens? Do they all have this feather phenomenon? Or just one?

 

[AmyJane725]

It doesn't appear to be from any parasite.

Are the new feathers coming in normal in appearance? How old are these chickens? Do they all have this feather phenomenon? Or just one?

Yeah. The vast majority of her feathers are coming in normal. Just a few are doing the "splitting open with black clumpy stuff inside" thing. There's just so many flakes.

She's three years old.

Just her so far. I didn't check the others yet.

 

[azygous]

Do your chickens dirt bathe? What is the medium? Sand, loam, clay, muddy black soil, compost, leaf mold? Could it be dirt on the naked feather shafts? Or dried poop?

If the feathers coming in are otherwise normal, I would keep an eye on her and see what these strange "feathers" do in the weeks ahead. I am wondering if these anomalies are perhaps old feathers stripped of their barbs, and what is left are these dark bits. If they are old worn feathers, they should be falling out. Or have you pulled them out of her? Are there normal pin feathers surrounding these oddities?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Correct.
I do NOT think a bug is involved, I think it's something weird from the feather making process.

I don't think it's bugs either.

If she's feathering in o.k., shows no symptoms of being sick, then I'd just observe.

It's interesting, but I have no idea what it is.

 

[Adams1]

As long as she’s not lethargic/ seems to affected then she either got into something or it was just natures way of scaring you..

I should’ve read the whole post so are her feathers coming off in big bunches as she’s molting? or The normal molt? This could be pigmentation of the feather that somehow found its way onto the outside?

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Hi, I am back... This post reminded me of some chicks I hatched last year. They head what looked like hard black beads on their backs that flaked off as their feathers came in.
I will link the thread I posted about that tomorrow so you can see the pictures. No real answers about the anomaly. They eventually grew normal feathers.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Hi, I am back... This post reminded me of some chicks I hatched last year. They head what looked like hard black beads on their backs that flaked off as their feathers came in.
I will link the thread I posted about that tomorrow so you can see the pictures. No real answers about the anomaly. They eventually grew normal feathers.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chick-down-defect.1501772/

It appears I only posted one photo at the time in that thread. Three chicks I hatched last year were hatched covered in weird black bead-like bumps where the down was supposed to be. The one I showed in the photo didn't survive but the other two did. I think your hen is having a hiccup in her feathers production and that it's not too much to worry about unless her feathers begin to look malformed or bare.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chick-down-defect.1501772/

It appears I only posted one photo at the time in that thread. Three chicks I hatched last year were hatched covered in weird black bead-like bumps where the down was supposed to be. The one I showed in the photo didn't survive but the other two did. I think your hen is having a hiccup in her feathers production and that it's not too much to worry about unless her feathers begin to look malformed or bare.

Me again. I need to clarify: The chick that didn't survive died because it was generally weak and had an unclosed navel. Not because of the feather issue.