Nervous or Obsessive Hen

[bcmama]

I have a four year old hen that is just different. She stopped laying quite awhile ago, but she's just obsessive. She sits and picks at her feathers, mostly in the back. At one point she did get mites but they have been controlled for awhile and she just picks at herself. She also has some dry skin in the areas she picks at. Anyone else ever have a nervous/obsessive hen that picks?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She doesn't sound happy. Have you dusted her for mites? Sometimes they can be persistent. Otherwise maybe she has an allergy or deficiency, what are you feeding? Maybe adding in some black oil sunflower seeds for extra fat might help. Just some thoughts, your poor hen.

 

[bcmama]

She doesn't sound happy. Have you dusted her for mites? Sometimes they can be persistent. Otherwise maybe she has an allergy or deficiency, what are you feeding? Maybe adding in some black oil sunflower seeds for extra fat might help. Just some thoughts, your poor hen.

She has been dusted and she doesn't have any mites. She is now the alpha hen after her sister passed. She has always been just a little different. The girls are now on a grower feed with extra calcium available since we have new pullets. Changing the feed hasn't done anything. I will try the black oil sunflower. She just picks at herself. I'll take a picture tomorrow.