molting ??? please help

[pefferlawchicken]

sorry im posting this again but it needs to go in the thread.

my hen ahs been poking her head into her wings and back for days now , doing it all day long
shes now pulling her feathers out in patches on her back and side
when she rips out the new feathers , the shaft has alittle yellow liquid and a touch of blood , regual for when u pull and new feather out
but why does she keep doing this ??

thanks

also she is about a year old and the only one doing it

 

[Peep'n'Stuff]

I'm sorry this is happening, I don't know the answer. My girls are molting but I've never seen them actually pulling out the feathers themselves. Hopefully, someone with more knowledge come along and be able help answer your question.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Something must be bothering her about how it feels under there. The usual posture for a bird preening its feathers is to stick the head under the wing and pull individual feathers through the beak. But, not to the point of drawing blood!

Does she have mites or lice that are bothering her? Can you separate her out from the rest, put her some place warm and draft-free to keep your eye on her and give her some probiotics, like yogurt, and vitamins and high-quality protein? If she were mine, I'd move her inside, in a crate with towels on the floor, and hand-feed and water her, checking all over her skin for evidence of eggs and lice.

What's her weight like? Is she eating well? What is her poop like? Those are things you can monitor while you make sure she is getting vitamins and some additional nutrition.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Quote:
I was thinking that to, I have had 5 hens molt and they never pulled there feathers out.

 

[pefferlawchicken]

just did bug treatment like 1 month ago i checked her nothing she eats and drinks fine poop fine im so confused

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
I'd be confused, too.

So, without being able to pinpoint the cause, but KNOWING there's definitely a problem ... here is how I would proceed:

If she were my hen, I would, temporarily, separate and move her inside, closer to me, so I could keep a close observation, for a while. You never know what you may see, up close, that would escape your notice, otherwise. I'd also add avian vitamins, live culture probiotics, and extra protein as supplements to her feed. Feathers are mostly made of protein - so they need lots of protein when replacing them. Observe her and see what changes or if there are improvements. Let us know what happens.