Need help with roo loosing feather's *pics*

[raroo]

The other roo might be able to sense a weakness in him. You mentioned he's small right now and can feel his breast bone easily. This may be an underlying problem separate from the feather loss.
It might be a nutrient deficiency caused by parasites. Do any of the other birds seem thinner than normal? Its possible that they could all have worms, but this little fellow just has an excess load of them. I don't think nutrient deficiency alone can cause feather loss, but it can induce self feather picking for sure.
Weight loss combined with self picking may provoke the lower roo, or even hens, to pick on him, causing the loss of head and neck feathers.
Maybe you could try worming them all and see if that helps.

 

[Barnyard]

Quote:
I have checked them all several times and I do not see anything....nothing. Nothing crawling or stuck to feather's....just a little dandruff. I guess that is what has me so puzzled. This is the only pen in the yard that I am having this problem with.

 

[purpletree23]

I understand that you have checked for lice and mites but please do an old lady a favor and check again. This time with a magnifying glass. Check the vent to make sure it looks clean. If the vent looks 'dirty' then you have a parasite problem.

How many roos do you have in the cage and how many hens?
Have you ever wormed them?
How old are they?
What kind of bedding do you have?
What are they fed?

Lets start there and get your guy well and handsome again.

 

[Barnyard]

Quote:
I checked him over again today. There is no lice or mites to be seen on his little body!! His vent is shiney and clean, lol. I have 7 hens and 2 roos in the same pen together. They have been wormed about 6 months ago with safeguard and once before then with Ivemec (sp). They are first year layer's and roo's, just over a year. They have a dirt floor in the pen and a shelter to get in when it rains and it is wood. The roo's get the same thing that the hens get.....layer crumbles, offered up all day everyday, and whatever treats I feed them for the day.

 

[purpletree23]

Are the feathers falling out, are the other birds picking on him or is he pulling them out himself? The coop floor is dirt. Do you use any bedding. Forgive me if you've already answered some of these questions.

 

[Barnyard]

Quote:
As far as I can tell none of the other birds are pecking him. He is on top of the pecking order. He is head roo. I have not seen him pulling the feather's out either. I do not use any bedding in the pen except for in the nest box.

 

[ivan3]

Up his protein intake. And give hime the Polyvisol enfamil (no iron) vitamins (three drops a day for a week and taper off).

I might be completely off base here but those sure look like new feathers coming in on his neck (sheathed).

 

[Barnyard]

Quote:
Ok Ivan, foregive me for my ignorance... What is sheathed?

 

[purpletree23]

Well barnyard I'm stumped! Sounds like you are doing everything right. If they were my chickens I would up their protein by giving them scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. I make enough for a few days at a time. It's about a 50/50 mix. Scramble the eggs, let them cool and them mix with cottage cheese. I put about 2 Tablespoons per bird on a paper palate and then hang around to make sure everyone gets a fair share. It only take seconds for them to eat it. I would also try adding vitamins. The chicken vitamin powder you mix with the water doesn't work because it smells and tastes so bad the chickens won't touch it. Go to a drug store (CVS) and get baby liquid vitamins Poly Vi Sol without iron. Give each bird 3 drops per day. Try this for about 10 days and see if there is an improvement.

Hopefully others will add information. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Do you have parrots?