[wellies101]

Hi All

Attached should be 3 images of my poorly chicken who's losing feathers. This has been happening for about 2 months now, but she's eating and drinking fine and still laying. None of the other birds are pecking at her and I want to see if anyone can provide some insight as to whats going on?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Hayley'sHens]

Have you checked her for mites?

[wellies101]

Yep, all four of them and they're all clear

[Oakdalebirds]

Wellies it looks like a case of feather pecking to me .
If so you can spray her with anti pecking stuff of just purple spray and see how she gets on.
From the images i can see no sign of broken skin so thats a good thing  :happy:

If not what i have said then im sure someone else will have a view

Good Luck

[orchardlady]

Do you have a cockerel? If you do it may well be that he is treading on this particular hen more than the others. Often a favourite hen can look like this. If he has sharp spurs you can cut them back with a hack saw being very careful not to take to much away and cut the quick. Then round off the cut edge with sand paper or emery paper.

The other possibility is that your hen is having a partial moult.

If it is feather pecking and you are not sure. Wrap up warm this weekend, take a flask of hot drink and a garden chair and watch carefully for about an hour. You will see how her house mates are behaving.

[wellies101]

No cockerel.

I've never seen any of my chickens peck any of the others in the 18 months I've had them.

Partial mould seems likely, but I'm concerned why the top bald bit had paler skin that the lower section which looks much redder?

[helens-hens]

Hi Wellies. I think the bottom featherless bit has red, patchy sore looking areas in contrast to the top bald bit as well. I'm still relatively new to all this but I thought that red mite (if there are any around) don't actually live on the hens but in the hen house - have you checked in there?

How old is the hen?