Weird feather condition

[chico]

Hi all, does anyone know what causes this? My hen's small feathers, ie on chest, abdomen, legs, are really sparse and small, and seem to have a brownish edging. This started out minor but has slowly spread. She has normal moults at the usual intervals, doesn't pluck, chew or scratch herself.
There is no redness, no scabs, no bald areas.

Olive is 3 years old, she has no contact with any other birds, her living quarters are perfectly clean, cleaned daily. She has flying time and a bath offered every day. She has fresh vegetables daily and eats a 50/50 ratio of quality seed and Vetafarm Budgie Crumbles. She is bright and happy, but l don't think those feathers look right! I'd be interested to hear any ideas on what this is. Thank you.

[Loz]

Lovely girl, looks very bright and alert.

I cannot help with your query but I would ask, are you able to determine the condition of her skin in the affected area? A description, or even a picture if possible, might help the more knowledgeable folks on the Forum.

[chico]

Hi, Thank you. No I think this is the best I can do with a photo. As far as I can see the skin, where visible, is normal, no scaling, in fact the skin is all covered, but the feathers are not normal feathers imo. She does not appear irritated by it, or pay any attention to the area other than in normal grooming which she does not do excessively.

[Loz]

If the skin us a normal healthy pink, my best guess is an unusual colour mutation.

Perhaps someone else has seen something similar or has some experince of this.

[Hezz]

It looks like bronzing to me. How much is she handled and how much does she preen herself? Does she get any sunshine straight onto her, not through a window, or if none, does she get another source of Vit D?

[chico]

yes it's like there is a bronze colouring on the feather edges. Olive does not like being handled beyond walking on my arms and hands, so no I don't hold her. She does not go outside (I cannot actually physically get her cage safely outside, as its too big to carry, does not have wheels, and there are steps to navigate). I was mindful of Vit D so made sure that her food has it included. The only non seed food she will eat are the vetafarm Finch and Budgie crumbles which have a long list of minerals and vitamins, including VitD. However it's impossible to know exactly how much she is getting from that food.

I don't feel she preens excessively , but maybe she does preen more than is good for her, at times when I'm not in the room.  Maybe she stresses when Im not with her and preens her belly as an anxiety response?  Because Im home all the time, she is very attached to me.  But I cant be with her 24/7 . She sings along with the radio  when I'm not in the same room with her, but sometimes she does call me loudly.

[Hezz]

Usually bronzing is caused by over-handling, over preening or excess rubbing, or over-due for a decent moult. It is simply the outer pigment coat being worn or rubbed off. There has been some suggestion also that excess protein in the diet could be a contributor.

[chico]

Thanks Hezz. Well nothing has changed, it's all still the same. She's had a mini moult, but moult seems to have stalled. I hope you can see the feathers in this photo, the edges are discoloured.

[chico]

[Hezz]

Yes, I can see that, and they are quite ragged. Quite often the birds moult out feathers that look perfectly fine and I wonder at the reason for losing them. These look they were definitely really to be moulted out.
Hopefully the new feathers come through looking perfectly normal.