Chicken bald back

[Cindig]

I've been worried about Priscilla.

 

We've had the three ex-bats for 3 weeks. Priscilla has always been the most anxious, and the most bedraggled-looking. She has been moulting for the last week and a half. Last weekend I was worried because she was puffed up, stayed in coop and had egg-white like expulsion (posted in chicken clinic). Concluded maybe a egg which had collapsed.

 

While the other two barge out of the coop and straight to the food, many mornings she loiters in the doorway for half an hour, and when she does emerge often pecks on the ground under the grub rather than going straight for the food. She has been drinking and does eventually go to the grub and eats but never seems to be quite as enthusiastic about feeding as the other two. She always goes to bed about an hour before the other two. I keep worrying, decide I need to do something, then she seems ok for a while, then back to not seeming quite right. In short, she joins in but lacks the enthusiasm that the other two have. I have sometimes wondered if the change in lifestyle has been too much for her.

 

She seems to like standing in the doorway of the coop but when I cleaned out today I found that the tray was disgusting - mix of brown, white and yellow, looked like a curdled mix, i.e. liquidy but with chalky granular texture. They all sleep in the nest box, which has newspaper and easichick bedding. Yesterday I noticed the newspaper was wet and thought that the egg port was leaking (it had rained a lot). Changed it and this morning found damp patch at one end again - I now assume it must be Priscilla.

 

A few times today, she put her tail down and head down, neck arched up, closed eyes. Possible vent movement but I'm not quite sure. Then after several minutes she would join others with pecking around etc, and seems relatively happy again.

 

I've picked her up and looked her over. Being a beginner I'm not sure what I'm looking for. She has a few patches where all the feathers are broken and just short stumps left - these look blackened. No idea whether this is normal for moulting hen or unusual. I've taken some pics so if this seems relevant I can battle with photobucket. Underneath her skin looks ok - can't see any mites/lice but again I'm inexperienced, but she does seem to have flakey skin, my jumper had dandruff appearance after holding her.

 

I know a visit to the vet may well be needed but I also know that this will only stress her further.

 

With children, you get to know what to look out for with all the ususal and slightly less usual infectious diseases without necessarily needing to go to the doctor every time. With chickens, I'm in the dark...

[Cindig]

[mullethunter]

I can't say for sure but it may just be that she's moulting and it's making her feel rubbish. It can make them quite poorly, particularly if they're stressed already.

 

As far as I can tell, the top two pictures show normal new feather growth. The dandruff type stuff is the covering off the new quills.

 

I don't know about the totally bare patch of skin in the bottom picture though.

 

I know it can feel a bit silly for a chicken, but if you're still worried and she doesn't get better i would take her to the vet.

[Cindig]

Thank you very much for your reply Mullethunter. Really good to know that the feather regrowth and dandruff, at least, seem normal. The bare skin is from her underside (more or less between her legs, although as I was juggling an uncooperative hen and a camera I can't be too sure where I was photographing! ). I guess she's re-growing in areas where she was bare when re-homed, but possibly the underside may be where she has been moulting from more recently? She has been moulting a lot of small soft feathers.

 

It's hard to know whether the liquidy granular brown-white-yellow icky stuff is just part of general stress/moulting or a separate issue.

 

For the moment, I think that although she's not a happy hen, she's also not very poorly - she's eating (although less than I'd like) and drinking and mostly joining in with the others. So I won't subject her to the trauma of going to the vet just yet, and see how she does. Although for the last week I keep changing my mind about whether she's ok or not. It's bad enough worrying about kids without worrying about hens too!!!

[Luvachicken]

The dandruff is dander caused by the new feathers/moulting.

A mullethunter says moulting can take a lot out of them.

If it was me I would take her to a good vet and they can give her the good check over and show you what to look for, just in case it is not just the moulting.

I hope she feels better soon.

Let us know how you get on.

[PixieDust]

Check the poop against this chart:

 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

Try increasing her protein intake. Give her some boiled eggs, mealworms or I believe wet cat food is good.

 

Can you examine if she has wet nostrils or is sneezing at all?

[Beantree]

It looks like a normal moult to me as well Cindig. They will eat the 'dandruff' sheaths during preening and consequently not eat that much food. They will drink more so the result is watery runny poos, often sludgy in appearance which can be caused by stress. Chickens must suffer a lot of discomfort during a moult because the hole that the feather drops out from closes up and is then forced open by a new feather. If you look closely at each new feather base you may see that the skin around is red and sometimes stretched.

 

As PixieDust says, extra protein in the diet will help speed the process. Sunflower hearts are also a good source of that.

 

If she isn't sneezing and doesn't have any discharge from the nostrils, apart from when she has just been drinking because they often get water into their airways and blow it out, she should be fine. Keep an eye out for others bullying her because at moulting time there are often attempts to change the established pecking order.

[mullethunter]

Or Tuna - mine really tuck into that when I give it to them during moulting

[Luvachicken]

Lifeguard poultry tonic is very good for moulting hens too.

[mullethunter]

I also have a Nettex moulting tonic which is good

[redsunset]

I have no experience of ex batts but can say that moulting really takes it out of them. Mine keep well away from the others as new pin feathers are very sensitive to the touch and they tend to get bullied on their appearance so stay on the side lines. If you are able to, I'd feed her a little extra protein as in tuna etc if possible. If not then just keep an eye on her as the change in new accommodation can be very stressful if only used to a cage (despite the lovely new freedom) They may be tough little creatures but sometimes one can really find the change hard. Hope she gets on well and blossoms like a normal chook for you in the coming days/weeks

[jimnpaula]

If she's not laying she won't eat as much either.

[Cindig]

Huge thanks to everyone for your advice! I hadn't realised how much moulting would affect her, but your advice certainly fitted. She is doing loads better now; she looks a lot happier and less stressed. She still isn't as greedy as the other two and goes to bed a good while earlier, but I don't think she is losing many (or any) feathers any more, and her poos look more normal. Thanks to you all for your help and reassurances!

[gavclojak]

Also remember they are not all the same, when I got my first five girls alana was always a little different, not very social, always want to bed early and got up late and did a lot if sitting! After I ruled out illness I realised it was normal for her x

[Luvachicken]

So glad that she is feeling very much better