Missing feathers on my chicken’s breast

[Basghettiii]

This is Jelly. She has scoliosis, so she isn’t shaped quite right, and I’m wondering if this might be part of my issue. She is missing feathers on the right side of her breast, but doesn’t appear to be missing any feather on her back. I was just wondering if it’s possible that my rooster might be overbreeding her. He’s young, and the issue started to become apparent after we had been away for a week and he had started to breed the girls. She has shown no signs of being broody or ill, so we just aren’t sure what the issue is. She seems really painful when I touch around the area. Like I said before, she isn’t shaped right, so it’s very possible that my rooster just has a harder time breeding her. I just want to know what this looks like, and what I can do to help.

She looks extra pitiful because it’s raining outside, and she’s been standing out in the run waiting for me to let her out.

 

[Eggcessive]

The bare spot is over her crop. I would feel of it now, and tell us if it is empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or squishy/poofy. Then recheck it first thing in the morning to see if it is empty (normal in morning) or if there is still something in it. Some meek chickens will just stand there while others peck rapt their feathers. Check her for any lice or mites on her body. Is she able to raise her head and move it normally? Scoliosis is fairly common in chickens. I probably would not hatch any of her eggs, since it may be hereditary.

 

[Basghettiii]

The bare spot is over her crop. I would feel of it now, and tell us if it is empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or squishy/poofy. Then recheck it first thing in the morning to see if it is empty (normal in morning) or if there is still something in it. Some meek chickens will just stand there while others peck rapt their feathers. Check her for any lice or mites on her body. Is she able to raise her head and move it normally? Scoliosis is fairly common in chickens. I probably would not hatch any of her eggs, since it may be hereditary.

Her crop feels normal, pretty hard and full. I will check in the morning to see if she is clearing it normally. She is able to move her head pretty well, but she has to turn her body to peck at things on the ground. I will look her over for mites as soon as I can. None of my other chickens are missing any feathers, so if there is a mite problem we are catching it early. She’s also very spunky- I don’t think she would let other chickens beat her up. She actually pecks my rooster when he gets too rough with the other hens- he’s a little scared of her haha. We are planning on hatching some eggs this next spring, and we have already been planning on removing hers from the batch. Hers look pretty similar to some of my other hen’s eggs, but we will try our best. She’s a sweet girl, and I don’t want her to be hurting, so thank you for the advice!

 

[Basghettiii]

Her crop feels normal, pretty hard and full. I will check in the morning to see if she is clearing it normally. She is able to move her head pretty well, but she has to turn her body to peck at things on the ground. I will look her over for mites as soon as I can. None of my other chickens are missing any feathers, so if there is a mite problem we are catching it early. She’s also very spunky- I don’t think she would let other chickens beat her up. She actually pecks my rooster when he gets too rough with the other hens- he’s a little scared of her haha. We are planning on hatching some eggs this next spring, and we have already been planning on removing hers from the batch. Hers look pretty similar to some of my other hen’s eggs, but we will try our best. She’s a sweet girl, and I don’t want her to be hurting, so thank you for the advice!

Just looked her over, no bugs in sight, but her skin does look pretty dry and flakey. Could this be a potential cause for her feather loss, or is that unrelated?

 

[Debbie292d]

I see no blood nor raw skin so whoever's doing it is pulling feathers but not picking on that area.

Could you bring her in for a few days to see that it doesn't get any worse or find out if she's doing it? I'm not saying the rooster isn't doing that, but he'd most likely be pulling on her head or neck area, not down that far.

A little extra protein, like even some occasional scrambled eggs would help her feather growth. If it's a feather picking problem by any of your chickens, extra protein may help. See what protein you have in your feed. 16% is bare minimum.

She's beautiful!

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she take dust baths occasionally? I wonder if her skeletal deformities make it hard for her to do that. Let us know about how her crop feels before she eats or drinks in the am.

 

[Basghettiii]

Does she take dust baths occasionally? I wonder if her skeletal deformities make it hard for her to do that. Let us know about how her crop feels before she eats or drinks in the am.

That is definitely a possibility! She takes dust baths just as frequently as my other girls, but it is highly possible that she is less effective in her cleaning. And I will be sure to check her crop in the morning!

 

[Basghettiii]

Does she take dust baths occasionally? I wonder if her skeletal deformities make it hard for her to do that. Let us know about how her crop feels before she eats or drinks in the am.

Her crop is emptying normally, so that’s a good sign. Nice and flat in the morning. She’s started eating now, so I will check her crop again later to make sure it is filling properly as well.

 

[Basghettiii]

My parents and I have noticed that while her crop does empty and the area does flatten, there is still a hard lump that remains over the crop. She’s clearly got some genetic issues, as shown by her scoliosis, so we are a little worried that there may be a different problem. We are trying to make her as happy and comfortable as we can, and we are hoping that it’s not a big deal. We didn’t really expect her to have a super long time due to her deformity, so we aren’t very surprised that other issues are popping up, but we are really hoping that she will be alright. I will keep you guys posted.

She’s a sweet girl. We hope we won’t be losing her any time soon, but we are prepared for the worst.