Mrs

[Cloud9]

Hi all, the title says it all really. I have 3 girls and only one has these symptoms. She has lost some feathers around her neck, the top of her head and a smallish patch on her wing which I thought could be the moult but she has also lost a fair bit of weight and her belly is bald and red and I can see her breast bone.

 

She did have scaly leg mite and lice a little while ago when we introduced a hen we had found into the run but we treated all girls for these - could it be another infestation? or worms?

 

She is eating and drinking and doesn't seem in any way poorly but for these symptoms.

 

Any ideas most welcome, please.

 

Thanks in advance

Ali

[staceychristie]

Feather pecking? If all vital stuff (poops, eat, drinking etc etc) then she'll not normally be in too bad a way. Worming is always advised with Flubenvet and powder them for lice. Scaly leg mite is bad, but relatively easy to treat but takes time and reapplication of something like vasalin frequently.

Where's she sleeping? The bedding can cause irritation, and they 'SHOULD' sleep on the roosting bars (I know ours sneak into the nest box after we move them out at night)

Good luck

 

Stacey X

[Cloud9]

Hi Stacey thanks for replying. I am pretty sure she sleeps on the roosting bars. I did wonder about pecking but she came with one of the other girls and the third is the new one and she looked quite young. I think I'll worm them and do the house and hens with louse/mite powder and put some poultry spice in their food and perhaps some cream on her belly and see how she goes.

 

Thanks again.

[staceychristie]

Age doesn't really matter---it's the pecking order. One of our smallest (almost bantam size) is a relentless feather puller, but a few well aimed squirts of a water pistol sorted it out

You should worm them twice a year (more frequent if you find 'wormy' poos). NOTE though that the dose added to the food is tiny, and needs to be well mixed in - we add cod liver oil to get it to stick to the feed.

They do eat the feathers, so there may not be any 'evidence' in the hen house.

 

Stacey X

[Egluntyne]

If she is a hybrid, she will be very lean with the breast bone being prominent. If she seems fine other wise, it could just be another moult. Around the neck is a typical place for this, and they often ignore what is stated in the books about the timings of moults. Is she still laying?

[Cloud9]

Hi all and thanks for your replies. I got hubby to go and check on my girl today and I've also given her a look over. Her belly is definitely less red but hubby says that some of the feathers look like they've been snapped off so I wonder if it is feather pulling?

 

Anyhow I've disinfected the house today (I have plastic roosting bars in my eglu so can't really think of anywhere little critters can hide for long) and there's no sign of red blood traces on the roosting bars. Just to make sure I've added diatom to their feed and dusted them with louse powder as well as their bedding. Gave them some corn today which all girls wolfed down, especially my girl I've been worried about.

 

Today my new girl is sneezing She did have a feather stuck on her beak this morning so I wonder if it's just irritated her nostrils but will keep an eye on her. I've got some citracidel (sp?) and so will add some to their water in the morning.

 

Thanks again for all your help.

 

Ali