What is this? White tipped feathers on hen's head

[CraziChknLady]

Two of my original flock have white tips on the feathers on their heads. The black one has basically been through hell. In the fall she had two respiratory infections w/ swollen eye, eyelid and runny nose. She was also molting at the time as well and looked like she had been tumbled in the dryer. When I had taken her to the vet, she has scars on her legs from mites. At the time no one else had the leg issues but I treated everyone for mites and thoroughly cleaned the coop several times just in case. She had gotten better until several weeks ago when she laid a lash egg. I isolated her. She did have broken/missing feathers (from the rooster) and just looked unwell. I gave her vitamins, an antibiotic, and electrolytes. Her feathers came back and she looked and acted much better. Still had the lash egg issue though. Since then she now has these white tips on her feathers. I am not sure if this is just more feathers growing in, due to her horrible and long molt? I swear it was like 3-4 months, maybe 5 but she was also really sick for at least 2 months. Or could this be a fungal issue or mite issue? I also have another hen with the same thing. I don't remember her ever going through a molt in the fall. Could it be stress? There is 6 altogether. Most are banty or banty mixes, 1 roo. I unfortunately don't know the age of these hens as they were a mixed flock when I got them. Its possible the black one is older than I thought. I have attached photos for reference. I hope they work. I honestly don't know how to resize these pictures. I apologized they are so large. The black hen doesnt have any white on her body, that I can see, I think the white speckels are dust as her body is solid black.

 

[SunriseChickers]

Can you get in for a closer look? Is the white tipping the actual feather itself, or does it look like sheath from a moult?

 

[SmiYa0126]

I think it's from molting. Perfectly ok. I'm sorry for all the issues you're going through

 

[CraziChknLady]

Can you get in for a closer look? Is the white tipping the actual feather itself, or does it look like sheath from a moult?

It doesn't look like a sheath or any pin feathers. I rubbed it and it seems like the tips are turning white. I will try to get better pictures tomorrow. It doesn't wipe off either.

 

[SunriseChickers]

It doesn't look like a sheath or any pin feathers. I rubbed it and it seems like the tips are turning white. I will try to get better pictures tomorrow. It doesn't wipe off either.

Based on a quick skim of a couple online articles, it seems to be something that can happen at the beginning of moulting. I'm no expert, haven't experienced this myself I don't think.

 

[CraziChknLady]

I think it's from molting. Perfectly ok. I'm sorry for all the issues you're going through

Thank you. I appreciate it....its been quite a hectic time since May. I had started over May 2024 with 8 chickens. Previous I had sold what I had in November 2023. I cleaned the coop and stored everything. I let the ground settle and everything grew back. No sickness or anything, it was just a "I'm done with this." I needed a break. So it makes me think that the original 8 were sick when I got them...or something. Between mites, the various respiratory issues, vitamin deficiencies and now the lash egg. I had one 18wk old have a vitamin B deficiency which got him back to health and then a month or two later it happened again but I could never get his vitamin levels up. He passed. I currently have another hen with a vitamin D deficiency. She had just started laying and has no shells to her eggs. She's a Black Jersey Giant, but she's always seemed off...even when she looks up at me at random times it seems like she's curving her neck down off to the side and then looks up sideways. But looks normal any other time. I have 40 total (11 roos). We will see how this summer goes. Sadly, I am not sure the one with the lash egg nor the shelless egg will ever get better. If they don't they might be put on my cull list. And oddly, this is my 5-6 flock..maybe 7, I've lost count at this point. I have never dealt with this many issues and makes me wonder if something was wrong with the hatchery chicks I bought last year too. At one point I had close to 60, sold a bunch (before the sickness/respiratory stuff) and have lost about 6-7 or so to sickness/predators. Its crazy.

 

[CraziChknLady]

Based on a quick skim of a couple online articles, it seems to be something that can happen at the beginning of moulting. I'm no expert, haven't experienced this myself I don't think.

Ok thank you. At first I thought it might be a fungal thing....but I am starting to think its more molting or stress related....I am sure it has to do with the weather and the rooster. I have had to keep them in their pen as the newest hens (which are now at point of lay) will hop the fence and steal food. (they did grow up in this pen so I am not totally surprised). I am working on trying to cover the runs. Its just fencing right now.

 

[CraziChknLady]

Based on a quick skim of a couple online articles, it seems to be something that can happen at the beginning of moulting. I'm no expert, haven't experienced this myself I don't think.

I just thought its odd as the black one already had a molt...but not the grayish one. Maybe she's having a secondary small one to finish things out since she was so sick earlier?

 

[SunriseChickers]

I just thought its odd as the black one already had a molt...but not the grayish one. Maybe she's having a secondary small one to finish things out since she was so sick earlier?

That seems possible. Sometimes moulting can be weirdly timed. I know I had some odd ones. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Ok thank you. At first I thought it might be a fungal thing....but I am starting to think its more molting or stress related....I am sure it has to do with the weather and the rooster. I have had to keep them in their pen as the newest hens (which are now at point of lay) will hop the fence and steal food. (they did grow up in this pen so I am not totally surprised). I am working on trying to cover the runs. Its just fencing right now.

There are some other reasons it seems, the most common being moulting, injury (from mites, etc, but I think this whiteness starts at the base of the feather) and dietary deficiency. Also age. There are genetic causes, but I highly doubt this is the case at all.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Some mottling at the tips of hens’ feathers is normal as they age I’ve had a few hens go through this.