Sick bird, I think??? Need some help please :(

[happycamper7]

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I got 7 chickens (3 from one person and 4 from a farm) 6 months ago. 1 of the 7 we thought was maybe molting when we got her but its been 6 months now and nothing has changed. If anything she is looking worse. I'm getting worried bc winter is coming and I don't want her to die bc she doesn't have all her feathers. I have googled all kinds of sicknesses and haven't found a thing yet.

Only thing I have noticed is she is deffently the bottom of the pecking order. If she is around the other 2 lady's she came with they all eat together. But if the other 4 are eating at the same time, they chase her away. But only when eating. They all sleep together just fine. They do everything together but eating.

Throw out the day she seems to kind of be a loaner.

Can someone help???

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[puIIets]

Hey;

It certainly does look like molting. But as you said it's been going on for six months, I doubt that it's the cause. On the other hand, it's probably not lethal if it's been going on for so long. Is she droopy/lethargic? Is she eating a drinking fine? Is she lighter than normal? How's her scat? Finding out these things will help pin point the sickness, though I personally think she may be being pecked, as you said she's a loner and at the bottom of the pecking order. If you have a rooster, that also may be a source as roosters can mess up the feathers on a hen's back while mating. What I would suggest to make sure the hens are never bored so they don't pick on her, and make sure their coop, run, water, etc. is clean. Check to see if she has wounds on her back - if so, get some Vetericyn poultry wound spray and spray it on. If she does not have her feathers in the winter, you can get her a chicken sweater to keep her warm. A hen saddle would also help make sure that hens don't peck her back if that's the problem. If you have a vet who can answer poultry questions or a poultry expert nearby, you may want to ask them for advice as I'm not an expert. Showing us more photos of her, her scat, etc., giving us more symptoms and listing off her enviromental factors will also help a lot!

Hope this helped!

 

[CuzChickens]

Welcome to Backyard chickens Happycamper !! I hope you enjoy it and the camaraderie here and everybody that goes nuts over chickens (me being one of them....) Have fun! And ask questions! I agree with everything pullets said. Keep us posted!