Orpington tail feather issue - please help!

[WIchickens]

Hi!
So here's Violet - my daughters lavender Orpington she's taking to the fair next week. Check out her tail feathers - they look not so soft and fluffy like the rest of her body. Any ideas on how to fix this? Or is it even an issue? We don't have a poultry leader and need advice. Thank you!

 

[Poultry parent]

How old is she?

 

[I Love Layers]

Have you checked for lice and mites? This is most likely the most unlikely case.

It looks more like a conditioning issue to me. You should separate her immediately in order for her to grow everything back. Most people call these conditioning cages. To see if you can get her feathers to grow back quicker you should up her protein.

I would like to see more pictures of her body hackles and a side view. I would also consider taking a more conditioned bird, if it is possible

 

[YdogsflY]

Majority of the feathers look in bad shape. What feed is the bird eating and are there any males running with her?

How old is the bird?

I would take another bird. Unless there is some miracle wax out there, it's not going to be fixed in a week. You could try bathing her and slicking her feathers, but I just don't know if it will work, but worth a try.

If the feathers laying on the coop floor are from her, is she molting?

 

[WIchickens]

Thanks all for your ideas!

To answer questions:

- she is almost 5 months- not laying yet.

-no, I don't have another Orpington to take. There are 2 other hens with her, but their lacing didn't turn out. Their feathers look normal.

- she's on an all flock 17% protein.

- I don't think it's lice or mites.

- we did have males in with the 3 hens, but took them out as soon as they got frisky. Probably 2 weeks ago.

- I will try and get a couple more pics in the morning. I think her front half looks pretty good, but I am still learning!

 

[I Love Layers]

You should still seperate here. She should be getting extra protein like I said and it will hel0 her keep cleAn

 

[3riverschick]

I love layers is Right. 17% isn't enough protein for an orpington .it's a Heritage breed .you should be feeding it 22 or 24%. these old Heritage breeds often need more protein in their diets then just regular commercial chickens.
I love layers ,do you think feeding this bird naturewise feather fixer feed would help like it was going through a molt or something even though it's not?
thanks for weighing in I-L-L. . I Love Layers is a prize-winning exhibitor whose Birds win in higher levels of competition.
Karen

 

[WIchickens]

Here are a few more pics

 

[I Love Layers]

I love layers is Right. 17% isn't enough protein for an orpington .it's a Heritage breed .you should be feeding it 22 or 24%. these old Heritage breeds often need more protein in their diets then just regular commercial chickens.
I love layers ,do you think feeding this bird naturewise feather fixer feed would help like it was going through a molt or something even though it's not?
thanks for weighing in I-L-L. . I Love Layers is a prize-winning exhibitor whose Birds win in higher levels of competition.
Karen

Correct 17% is not enough for a bird that is going to be shown especially one that is not in a conditioning cage all the time. I do not like feeding feather fixer it adds to much unnecessary fats into the bird. You are better off with cat food, or dairy calf feed. If you do decide to feed it one of the options I listed only give it a smaller amount and only one time a day. Keep feeding your current feed with it.
With my Cochins they get around 1/2 to 3/4 a cup of 16% layer feed a day, my males get about 1 cup of 16% layer feed. At night I give them a small amount of cat food and DCF mixed together
Also you will want to wash her around 3-5 days before the show.
If she is not trimmed, toenails, already you should do that soon.
I have to wash my birds possibly today or tomorrow so I can get a video of how to bathe a bird if you want

 

[I Love Layers]

View attachment 1080732 View attachment 1080733 View attachment 1080734 View attachment 1080732 View attachment 1080732 Here are a few more pics

5 months is a bit young for slower growing breeds to show. It looks like her sickles could use a bit more growing in. I can not really tell what her hackles look like because she is moving, gosh birds are hard to photograph!