What is wrong with my hen?

[mnaberk]

I am new to chickens, and I have 9 Rhode Island Reds. One of my girls was badly pecked after we got her, but we put Blu-Kote on her, and I even put Rooster Booster on her to keep the others from bothering her. She is no longer getting pecked, but she is not growing her feathers back. I noticed that she was acting strangely tonight in our bark mulch. She was rolling around and almost looked half dead at times. When I approached her she got up and ran off. She is eating, but the feathers on the back of her neck are sparse too. All of the feathers underneath are gray. Why? I have mostly young chickens, and she is not laying yet to my knowledge. I checked her all over tonight, and I couldn't find any lice, mites, etc. She is acting normally for the most part, and she is socializing with the other chickens. Any ideas what could be wrong with her? Thanks!

 

[Wyandottes7]

It might take a while for her feathers to grow back. How long has it been? Even if you didn't see any mites or lice, it might be a good idea to treat for them. As long as nothing else is wrong with her, I wouldn't worry. It sounds like she just needs time to grow back her feathers. To assist in this process, you can give her high-protein foods like cat food and scrambled eggs.

As for the rolling around in your bark mulch, that is normal chicken behavior. She was likely trying to take a dirt or dust bath. My chickens dust bathe throughout my yard, in loose soil, and in my garden that is covered in bark mulch. I guess the sharp mulch chips don't bother them!

 

[Eggcessive]

I've had chickens feather picked around the neck where they didn't grow them back until a molt.

 

[mnaberk]

What about the fraying feathers? Is that normal? How do you treat them for lice/mites? I try to do things as natural as possible. Thanks for the advice. I guess it has been about a month since she was pecked.