Molting?

[Amontgomery61]

1.5 year old hen, have never see this on any of my girls.

 

[sourland]

She is molting. For some reason the pin feathers are slow on losing their sheaths.

 

[DesertBrahma]

Do you see anything moving around on the skin by the feather shafts? She looks like she's molting.

 

[Amontgomery61]

Do you see anything moving around on the skin by the feather shafts? She looks like she's molting.

I don't see anything, I have 10 other females and males as well, males are away from females completely. None of the others have anything like this So, So I don't think it's mites or lice.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

As @sourland said, the pin feather sheaths haven't came off yet. 1) It looks like she isn't going through a hard molt, often times chickens will do partial molts that we don't typically notice. 2) If she doesn't have access to a dust bath, that could be why she's not shaking loose those sheaths! Usually the chickens break them apart by scratching and rolling around. They are made from protein and calcium though, so maybe they are just hardy sheaths! Your girl looks very healthy though.

 

[DesertBrahma]

I don't see anything, I have 10 other females and males as well, males are away from females completely. None of the others have anything like this So, So I don't think it's mites or lice.

Then definitely molting. I always assume the worse before assuming the best. If you're not seeing anything on her skin, or the feather shafts then molting.

 

[kerbotx]

It seems she is done molting, and the new feathers have grown in nicely - she just isn't preening away the coverings on the new feathers. Is she low in the social order? She might not have access to the dust bath area, or if she is bullied on the roost, then that could be depriving her of much-needed preening time. If it were me - if the weather is warm enough for it - I'd splash a little water on her, make her preen! Maybe I'm mean tho