Sudden underside feather loss after eating mouse HELP!

[Zud]

Our black Australorp, Emily Chickenson, has lost feathers around her vent and around her crop. Her crop is on the very full size, but it tends to be for her, and it's very malleable.

She's otherwise normal in temperament, eating and drinking normally, and impossible to catch, as usual.

I have not observed anything that might be a mite or flea or anything like that. She's the only one experiencing symptoms. They have not been dewormed.

I gave her an Epsom salt bath and have observed her pecking around her leg area which she's not really letting me get a good look at.

One concern is that she did eat a whole mouse 6 days ago. We aren't sure if it was dead or alive when she got to it, but we are aware that some of our neighbors do use mouse poison in their homes (we're in a fairly dense neighborhood). It was first noticed that some of the feathers around her vent had thinned out 2 days ago.

Anyone have any ideas? Pictures attached.

Thanks!

 

[21hens-incharge]

The crop feather loss may be from how she roosts.

If the mouse was an issue (from poisoning) the hen wouldn't be alive right now so I don't think that's an issue.

How old are the birds?

It is molting season but I don't see pin feathers. It could be she has been roosting near a feather plucker too.

 

[Zud]

The crop feather loss may be from how she roosts.

If the mouse was an issue (from poisoning) the hen wouldn't be alive right now so I don't think that's an issue.

How old are the birds?

It is molting season but I don't see pin feathers. It could be she has been roosting near a feather plucker too.

Definitely not molting, they're only 7 months old. I'll keep an eye of anyone else seems to go at her, or if she's roosting oddly. She's not typically one to be picked on, though. She's a little on the bossy side.

I'm concerned she's pulling her feathers out just as it's getting colder here, too. Is there any risk she'll have difficulty retaining heat?

 

[AGeese]

I don't think mouse poisoning is typically that strong.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Definitely not molting, they're only 7 months old. I'll keep an eye of anyone else seems to go at her, or if she's roosting oddly. She's not typically one to be picked on, though. She's a little on the bossy side.

I'm concerned she's pulling her feathers out just as it's getting colder here, too. Is there any risk she'll have difficulty retaining heat?

At 7 months it rules out molting. Would have been nice if that was all it was.

I am not able to say what the cause of her naked bum is. The breast area looks like it's from it rubbing the roost while she sleeps.

What feed are you using? What is the protein percentage on the bag?
What treats and how often? Treats are everything that is not the primary feed.
How many birds in the flock? Can you estimate how much treats your giving?
Do you have additional calcium available?

I have had birds hard molt in the coldest part of winter without seeming to struggle with the cold. The worst was a leghorn (small lean bird) that looked about ready for the pot with just a few hard wing feathers and her head feathers.

 

[Chicken poppy]

At 7 months it rules out molting. Would have been nice if that was all it was.

I am not able to say what the cause of her naked bum is. The breast area looks like it's from it rubbing the roost while she sleeps.

What feed are you using? What is the protein percentage on the bag?
What treats and how often? Treats are everything that is not the primary feed.
How many birds in the flock? Can you estimate how much treats your giving?
Do you have additional calcium available?

I have had birds hard molt in the coldest part of winter without seeming to struggle with the cold. The worst was a leghorn (small lean bird) that looked about ready for the pot with just a few hard wing feathers and her head feathers.

Something i would just like to add.

My chicken Rizo has little feathers underneath aswell, shes had it like there for a while with no other concerns.

Rizo is going through a pretty extreme molt right now and if you ask me, shes being a tad dramatic. She just sits outside all puffy because shes cold, so i take her in with heat, and she falls asleep.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Has she been broody? Hens will pull out the feathers from their belly when they are brooding because they interfere with heat transfer to the eggs. It's easy to miss if you don't often examine them closely and it will stay bare until her next molt.

 

[Zud]

At 7 months it rules out molting. Would have been nice if that was all it was.

I am not able to say what the cause of her naked bum is. The breast area looks like it's from it rubbing the roost while she sleeps.

What feed are you using? What is the protein percentage on the bag?
What treats and how often? Treats are everything that is not the primary feed.
How many birds in the flock? Can you estimate how much treats your giving?
Do you have additional calcium available?

I have had birds hard molt in the coldest part of winter without seeming to struggle with the cold. The worst was a leghorn (small lean bird) that looked about ready for the pot with just a few hard wing feathers and her head feathers.

I peeked in when they were on the roost tonight after it was well dark. She's not sitting any differently on the roost than she had before or any of our other girls (the thinly feathered breast is new. When we are able to catch her, we often feel her crop because it's always so full it makes us nervous, and we've never noticed it before).

We feed them Blue Seal Home Fresh Extra Egg Layer Pellets Poultry Feed, 16% protein and we're usually able to let them free range in the yard for at least an hour a day, though sometimes much more than that.

We try not to give them a lot of treats, though it's the most effective way to wrangle them, so they often get two or three small handfuls of Grubbly brand mealworms. Lately at night were also sprinkling a cup or so of scratch as a before bed snack. I think it's the Dumor brand. We occasionally give them fruit or veggies, instead of, not in addition to other treats. They got a small gord to share on Thanksgiving.

We have oyster shells available but they almost never go for them before they knock over the container, and once it's on the ground in the run it's hard to tell how much they take.

We have 5 hens, all the same age but different breeds. She's one of two that really don't like to be handled. I considered stress as a possibility, but none of them really seem overly stressed and aside from not liking being pet or picked up, she's not particularly fussy or easily upset.

 

[Zud]

Has she been broody? Hens will pull out the feathers from their belly when they are brooding because they interfere with heat transfer to the eggs. It's easy to miss if you don't often examine them closely and it will stay bare until her next molt.

No broodiness. She's a very consistent layer though, and no issues with her laying.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

No broodiness. She's a very consistent layer though, and no issues with her laying.

Hmmm. My girls are always clearly broody when they get a brood patch, but it might not always be necessary? See post #2 here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/brood-patch-but-hen-isnt-broody.1316629/