Odd wings on hen

[rabiee]

My 5 month old hen’s wings look odd, when looking straight on from behind they stick out and it’s almost like she’s missing some feathers that should be above the main wing feathers. She seems to be lowest in the pecking order and we have a drake that harasses her. Is this a deformity?

 

[azygous]

She appears to be normally feathered from where I sit.

However, it concerns me that you are permitting a drake access to her. Drakes and hens are not meant to mate. He is built with an external organ that can badly injure or even kill a hen if mating occurs.

 

[rebrascora]

Not only is there a direct risk from the drake mating her (and there is a good chance he will try, especially if he is young) but he can introduce infection into her system which could make her very sick and perhaps die longer term as well as his physical weight potentially causing her injury and the stress of being pestered by a hormonal drake could trigger a latent virus. Best to pen the drake separate of any chickens.

I also cannot spot anything particularly untoward with her feathers but black is a difficult colour to see detail on.

 

[rabiee]

We free range our entire flock, I did had him locked up for a couple of days, but then my two duck hens got very upset. I am thinking we may just get rid of him, because I don't have the set up to keep two coops/runs. It is a new behavior that just started this past week.

For the wings it's almost like they stick out to the sides, and don't sit flat. I'll try to get a better picture.

 

[azygous]

If she holds her wings out only part of the time, she may be trying to cool down. Besides panting on a hot day, holding the wings away from the body is another way chickens try to beat the heat.

 

[rabiee]

I have an update, we rehome our drake and things were going well, but the other day she mysteriously came down with something, she is acting drunk almost. Well because if this she is relaxing her wings and I can take a better picture. I have been giving her vitamins and keeping her in a quite place.

 

[rabiee]

Could it be that she's just missing these middle wing feathers and they will grow in?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

View attachment 1535401 View attachment 1535402 View attachment 1535402 I have an update, we rehome our drake and things were going well, but the other day she mysteriously came down with something, she is acting drunk almost. Well because if this she is relaxing her wings and I can take a better picture. I have been giving her vitamins and keeping her in a quite place.

She has a deformity called split wings.

 

[rabiee]

She has a deformity called split wings.

Oh wow, thank you for the reply, I have never heard of this. Definitely going to look it up.

 

[Mosey2003]

Yes, she has split wing plus her wings are set unusually high on her body. Those are both undesirable traits, but won't hurt her any. It's something you'd cull from a breeding pen for.