Unhealthy looking feathers

[LoveMySiouxsie87]

One of my polish hen's tail feathers don't look very good (like a comb that's missing teeth). They did have lice/mites recently and have been treated (and I check them everyday an they're clean now) but it seems her feathers are getting worse. I live in Texas and it's very very hot. Is it heat stress related?

 

[threehorses]

How did you treat? Did you retreat everything in a week?

 

[ivan3]

If you've checked them very thoroughly after they've gone to roost (pref. with low power loupe) and they are free of the parasites then, yes, it could be stress/vitamin deficiency/or just old feathers.

Below is a GSL hen. She has the `tooth comb' feathering. She was about to molt (explode into a pile of feathers).

Some general info on feather loss: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/mf2308.pdf

Vitamin deficiencies: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206921.htm