What's wrong?

I think Ruby may have a compacted crop. She has is a large, squidgy lumpy area to the side of her breast and there are missing feathers and red skin on her front. Why would she lose feathers?



The feather loss isn't immediately apparent without looking closely but is quite central down her front.

Forgot to say she seems well in herself - eating and being top hen in the flock. (We have just got 3 new hens this week as out other one died last week and she was on her own)

ok. I have checked her this morning and her crop seems to have good back down. Could she have just eaten loads because of the new birds and she was dominating the food? ↲It doesn't explain the feather loss though?

when it is really full it will stretch the skin often making the hens feathers look really sparse 
Now the crop has gone down does she still look threadbare?

check for mites, lice etc and treat with frontline or similar. Check to see if she is getting her neck stretched out through any wire in an effort to get some grass/plants etc as this will wear her feathers away, check to see if any other hen is plucking her and eating the feathers (you may have to watch all day for this - it's a tough job but somebody has to do it  ).

It's definitley not others attacking her - the other hens are currently petrified of her. It may be stretching but I think that's unlikely.

Perhaps it's mites but the house has been cleaned thoroughly (dismantled and sprayed with jeyes) and subsequently powedered and sprayed with poultry shield.

I'll take another look tonight - she's getting used to the daily routine now!!!