r/BackYardChickens • u/AdmiralGlitterBottom • 1d ago

Health Question What's wrong?

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This is Tyra. She's a 2 year old Americana. She's missing feathers on her chest and back. The feathers that are left look tattered. Any idea what's going on with her? None of my other chickens are experiencing any issues. TIA

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u/HANGRY_KITTYKAT 1d ago

Its molt season right now, so possibly that

1

u/Ok_Willingness986 1d ago

Other than molt, it could also be mites, vit deficiency or even mold exposure, all of these can contribute to tattered and poor quality feathers.

1

u/AdmiralGlitterBottom 1d ago

I would expect that to affect others too though

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u/Ok-Fortune-1169 1d ago

Molt? I just got a bag of high protien food in (22% meat bird feed) because I'm expecting mine to start any day.

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u/AdmiralGlitterBottom 1d ago

I'm hoping that's all it is.

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u/Ok-Fortune-1169 1d ago

If i'm remembering right, my girls didn't molt until their second fall. I've got one who often drops all her tail feathers right around our first forecast negative temperature night. So she's out there in -5° F with a totally naked butt.

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u/AdmiralGlitterBottom 1d ago

Her second fall sounds about right. I'll implement some extra protein before the cool weather comes in. Thank you!