What's Up?!

[di]

Right,you may remember a couple of weeks ago one of our girls was a little under the weather,well she seems to have picked up loads & is now mixing well with the others & eating well.However not sure if she's moulting or if there's something else up?She's lost a lot of her breast feathers & is looking particularly scrawny!!Only thing is I thought they stopped laying when they moult?As we had our first dozen from a dozen yesterday she has to be laying!I'm certain she's not being picked on,I've been up there loads over the last few days & none of the others have protested when she's "shared" their food.I've also given her a good check over for mites.(would they be visible?)
Sorry it's a tad bit long a post,but feeling a bit confused as to whether it's something normal(moulting)or something I should be more concerned about?

[kirsty b]

If your chook has lice you will be able to see them. I find it easier to check the vent feathers. Get a firm grip of your girl, and gently part the feathers and look on the skin at the base. Lice will be visible if she has got them and they are a pinky/grey colour. White powdery deposits at the base of the feathers are lice eggs. If you google poulty lice images, you should be able to find pics of what you are looking for, thats what helped me when mine had them.

Re: the loss of breast/neck feathers mine have that occasionally and I always wonder why. Although a week or so ago I noticed one casually pulling at the neck feathers of another while she just stood there and let her! They all seem happy enough so I'm a bit stumped as to why they were doing that.

[di]

Cheers Hayley!I had another check over today & she deffo doesn't seem to have any crawlies!Other than a few missing feathers she seems absolutely fine & we got another 12 out of 12 today so she's certainly laying!At the mo I think I'll put it down to one of those odd things I'll never know the reason for,but still keep an eye out for if worsens.(Tis a perfect excuse for spending an extra while chook watching when really I should be toiling the ground!!)
Thanks again.

[di]

I think today I may well have sussed the mystery!!She's also the one that is most tempted by all things green on the other side of the fence!!She doesn't just pop her head through the wire to try & reach but sticks her neck through as far as she can reach!!So I'm now thinking that's why she's got a little bald patch!!May be wrong but makes sense to me!!