Molting hen with injuries and redness

[jefulford]

My (I think Ameraucana) hen, 1.5 years old, is going through her first big molt. We noticed some injuries on both her wings, neck, and underbelly. She’s not acting strange, she wasn’t upset when I picked her up and let me carefully look at the areas. Her sister, same breed and age, is having none of these problems. No other chickens in the flock have these problems, not even the other molting chickens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Doesn't look like molt.
It looks like feather picking. I see a lot of broken feathers, not new growth.

How much space do you have, what do you feed, how many birds do you have?

Have you looked them over for lice/mites?

You had a similar thread back in July, where a bird was being plucked as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ummer-one-sudden-death.1538372/#post-25954398

 

[jefulford]

Doesn't look like molt.
It looks like feather picking. I see a lot of broken feathers, not new growth.

How much space do you have, what do you feed, how many birds do you have?

Have you looked them over for lice/mites?

You had a similar thread back in July, where a bird was being plucked as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ummer-one-sudden-death.1538372/#post-25954398

We feed them Dumor egg layer 16%. The problem in July was from a new feed we tried that was made for all flock but not layers, so we switched back to their favorite, the current feed. We recently expanded their space by double, with both of these events occurring after.
18 hens, 3 ducks (2 drakes trying to find a home for one, 1 hen). I know drakes can be aggressive sometimes to chickens but I’ve watched the boys around the chickens and they have zero interest in them. Likewise I haven’t seen any of the other girls going after each other in spite.
I looked at this girl for mites when I took the pictures and found none and did the same for the previous post. None in the coop. If the two situations are connected, would the spread be so slow as this, only two chickens over three months?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you see her digging and scratching at herself?

Go out to your coop at night and take a flashlight. Look at the skin around the vents, under the wings, etc. and wipe a paper towel along your roosting bars looking for bugs.
Some mites only come out to feed at night.

The condition of the feathers says plucking, mating and/or mites. The scabs may be from other plucking or she may be plucking at herself.

The one in the photo above also has Bumblefoot. You may want to address that too.

 

[jefulford]

Do you see her digging and scratching at herself?

Go out to your coop at night and take a flashlight. Look at the skin around the vents, under the wings, etc. and wipe a paper towel along your roosting bars looking for bugs.
Some mites only come out to feed at night.

The condition of the feathers says plucking, mating and/or mites. The scabs may be from other plucking or she may be plucking at herself.

The one in the photo above also has Bumblefoot. You may want to address that too.

I will look. Is it possible that a screw or nail or similar sharp construction object could causes these injuries?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's possible I suppose but most of the injuries are around feather follicles.

The broken feathers on the neck are plucked.

She may have depluming mites, hard to know. If you don't find mites on her in the dark, then consider treating with Ivermectin Pour On.
The feathers still won't grow back until she molts, but if she's picking at her self because of mites, then the meds should resolve that part of the problem.