Moulting chicken

[Vix82]

I'm new to chickens. We got 4 hybrids at Easter from the same breeder at point of lay. One of them (a blue- the lowest in the pecking order following an unidentified illness in May which she seemed to recover from) recently started losing feathers. I checked her and she had evidence of what seemed like lice (small sand coloured insects near vent), so I powdered her and a few days later checked her again and couldn't see any evidence of the lice. However since then she has been losing more and more feathers, on her neck, vent and under her wings mostly. When I pick her up lots more feathers drop off of her. I noticed that the top girl kept going towards her and the blue was running away so yesterday I isolated the bully for a while and put anti pek spray on the molting one. Since then the bully hasn't paid her any attention, although the blue was running away from another one today.

They spend most of the day in a very large run as we have dogs, but this afternoon when I let them out to free range I noticed the blue was pecking the feathers out of herself like she was being irritated. I've checked her again today and no evidence of lice or mites but I've powdered her again anyway. She's still eating but I don't think she's laid for a few weeks.
Any ideas what might be wrong with her? She's starting to look quite scrawny now
Sorry for the long post!

 

[Tlmcq]

It is getting to time of year they molt. And will not lay during molt. I give ones going thru particularly hard molt a bit more protein feed. The one I use is called feather fixer by Nutrena. It's 18% protein. Maybe someone else will chime in with more helpful advice.

 

[Vix82]

It is getting to time of year they molt. And will not lay during molt. I give ones going thru particularly hard molt a bit more protein feed. The one I use is called feather fixer by Nutrena. It's 18% protein. Maybe someone else will chime in with more helpful advice.

Thanks for the advice. I thought she was a bit young to molt but maybe not!

 

[Tlmcq]

They can molt their first year but yes it's usually 16 to 18 months old. However we don't really know how old she is exactly, unless breeder gave you her hatch date. But, it's not unheard of for them to molt their first year.

 

[Vix82]

Okay thanks, hopefully it's just that then!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Vix82 Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of her and the feathers?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
What type of powder did you use to treat the mites/lice?
Do you see new feather growth (pin feathers) coming in?


Since she is around 5months old(?) she may be going through a mini molt, but it's best to re-inspect her for signs of mites/lice. Permethrin based poultry sprays or dusts are usually effective in controlling/eliminating parasites, if the labeling instructions are followed and the housing has been cleaned out and treated as well. (Generally re-treatment and clean out should be performed 10-14days after initial treatment to kill any nits that may have hatched).

If you feel that she is losing weight - it's a good idea to weigh her to get a baseline weight, then weigh her daily (same time everyday). This will give you a good idea if she is losing, staying the same or gaining.

Having a vet perform a fecal float to rule out worms as the cause of weight loss would be in order as well.

She may benefit from having some extra protein like egg, tuna or meat along with added vitamins a few days a week to see if she improves. Going off lay is a bit concerning - do you know what her early illness was (respiratory related, coccidiosis, etc.). Provide her with a balanced poultry feed and offer oyster shell free choice.

Keep us posted.