not so healthy looking leghorn

[sunket77]

I have an ideal 236 leghorn thats about 9 mo. old. She is one of three 236's that I have. She is not looking as well as the others, her feathers are looking ragged and some have fallen out. Her comb is looking pink and shriveled, not large and bright red like the other two. She is in a run/ coop with 17 other laying hens. I know she can't be molting b/c she is to young. As far as I can tell there are no signs of disease with any of the other chickens or her. She is hard to catch (on top of it's been bad weather so the run is pretty muddy) so I haven't handled her lately. Is there something that happens with the 236's? she looks like an old hen past her time with little pale comb on top!

 

[Judy]

Actually, she could be molting. Could be several other things, lice/mites, worms, something else.

http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

sunket77 - I only have a few hens and my only one to molt so far was 18 months when she molted. But I have read posts by others on this site who say their chickens molted around the same age as yours, so I think this is normal. You might want to check your hen over thoroughly for lice and mites, but from what you describe it sounds like your hen is going through a normal molt, including not looking well, feathers ragged and falling out, and shriveled and pink comb. Do you see pin feathers on her (small feathers covered in a sheath that have not fully emerged)? This is another sign of a normal molt. If you post pictures of your hen, we will be able have a better idea what is happening. If you search "molt" or "molting" on this site, you will find more information and pictures of what molting chickens look like for comparison. Here is a link for information on lice and mites as well. Good luck to you!
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[sabinestull]

what is her demeanor? Standing around or sitting down?

 

[sunket77]

Her demeanor is pretty normal, doing normal hen things with the rest of the girls. I have checked most of the hens that I can pick up and handle. (Mostly b/c they like it!) And there is no sign of pests. I appreciate the responses! Maybe she is going through a small molt, my other older hens went through a big one and they all looked terrible. I will just keep an eye on her, this is the year for strange things like a broody production red!