Sick Chicken?

[kerimorton]

Hi all,

I am new to raising chickens and have just two in my backyard. My Jersey Giant lost feathers in the fall and they haven't grown back yet. This morning I went to let her out of the coop and she wouldn't come out. I am worried she's sick? Any help here would be greatly appreciated! She has lost feathers in her neck area, as well as the bottom part of her belly.

Any thoughts on what this could be? Normal, or is she sick?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of the bottom part of her belly, plus a whole body shot?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

The feather loss on the neck looks like the feathers have been rubbed off. Check her for external parasites and observe your other hen to see if you can catching her pulling feathers off the JG.

It is cause for concern if she is not coming out of the coop - you know your hen's routine-if that is not her usual behavior. Feel her crop to see if it's empty. When was the last time she laid an egg? Feel her abdomen between the legs and below the vent for any swelling/bloat or a feeling of fluid.

You may want to take her out of the coop and offer her some water to see if she will drink for you.

 

[kerimorton]

Thank you so much for your reply!
I'm concerned because those feathers just haven't grown back since fall and she seems to have lost her appetite. I can't see any external parasites, but I am not sure I would know what to look for. I don't see any obvious bugs, etc. on her. I took her out of the coop and she's wandering around the backyard and seems normal right now. We feed them meal worms, oatmeal, rice for treats. They also get blueberries, watermelon, etc. I've attached a couple of pictures of the bottom part of her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We feed them meal worms, oatmeal, rice for treats. They also get blueberries, watermelon, etc[/QUOTE]

I'm concerned because those feathers just haven't grown back since fall

What type of roosting bars do you have? Some of the feather loss underneath is likely due to being rubbed off while roosting and entering/exiting nesting boxes.
The neck feather loss-the shafts look to be intact, she won't grow those back until she molts again in the fall (sorry if I didn't make that clear previously).

I would be more concerned that she is not eating. Do you feed a balanced poultry feed (layer feed, flock raiser, chick starter, etc.)? Too many treats can dilute the nutritional content that a hen is getting. Aim for no more than 5-10% of her daily intake to include those treats that you listed. I would eliminate the rice and oatmeal all together.
Does she lay eggs? Are those normal?

uggghhh...I don't know why it went into the quotes, I can't fix it You will have to expand to see my comments.

 

[kerimorton]

OK, thank you! I have an Omlet coop with a roosting bar in the link below. I have layer feed that I bought at Murdoch's- it's organic, etc. Is that OK? I'll make sure she's eating more of her real food. I don't think she is laying. In the last two days we've only pulled out one egg. Is that due to nutrition as well?

https://www.amazon.com/SummerHawk-R...29185841&sr=8-2&keywords=chicken+roosting+bar

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That roost looks fine. A JG is a very large bird so she may be rubbing the feathers off while roosting. Do you know how much your girl weighs?

How old is she? They lay decent from what I understand, do you offer oyster shell free choice for calcium? What is the protein content of your feed. She may benefit from extra protein, the mealworms are good, but not too many. You can also give egg, tuna or meat if you wish.