Strange "disease" on one hen

[minaayindra]

I have 2 hens who live together, separately from the rest of the flock, as they were being picked on savagely by another hen. When I moved them, one started to regain all of her feathers but Wendy, my Gold Lace Wyandotte, looks far worse than just originally losing her tail feathers to the aggressor. Now her body looks like it is molting but I think she molted already in early Oct.- her head feathers are turning white in many areas and she and her coopmate don't seem to want to go outside anymore. When I can get them out, they seem normal but they always go back into the coop rapidly. She eats and drinks without issues I have seen. It looks like she has dandruff sometimes, on her wings, head, etc. Is this some type of bug or is it normal for a hen to molt more than once and develop the white streaks on her head feathers? My rooster once grew many white feathers back in but he looked really healthy. Any help is greatly appreciated...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Can you share a photo? Sometimes they grow back lost feathers earlier, than molt fully a month or two later. Did you see her molt the tail and wing feathers?

 

[minaayindra]

Here are two pictures of what she looks like now...

 

[minaayindra]

This is my hen Wendy- these show her feathers and the white head streaks.

 

[minaayindra]

Can you share a photo? Sometimes they grow back lost feathers earlier, than molt fully a month or two later. Did you see her molt the tail and wing feathers?

Wendy had most of her tail pulled out by her sister so there wouldn’t be any feathers to see. I do not remember the wing feathers but there was so much fighting that feathers were usually everywhere.

 

[Sleek28]

View attachment 2437934
Here are two pictures of what she looks like now...

View attachment 2437935

It looks like she’s just molting! Sometimes chickens will get white feathers without reason. My GLC went through the same process. Now she has a very white head. The white on her neck looks like the casing for the feathers. That will fall off and look like dandruff.
-DC

 

[minaayindra]

Well, I thought I had posted a big THANK YOU for the information but it doesn’t seem to be coming up. I’m so relieved... it would have been horrible if she got torn up and then had a disease to contend with.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree. She's just molting. The white stuff in the feather sheath that covers, and protects the feathers as they emerge out of the skin.

 

[minaayindra]

Thanks!