hen pattern baldness?

[nikki1]

My SLW, Dot, is at the top of the pecking order. She is a beautiful bird, but lately she's been having issues.

First, I noticed more Dot feathers than anyone else's in the run and in the yard. Then I noticed that her longest tail feathers were gone, so her butt looks very rounded. This morning I noticed a, well, not bald patch, but a sparse patch on the back of her neck.

None of the other hens would dare to peck at her, so I don't think that's the problem. She seems otherwise healthy. The Girls eat a layer feed, with treats of corn, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt, so I'm thinking it's not a feed issue. Could she be doing a late molt? My other 6 hens are fully feathered.

In the meantime, we've got a red heat lamp up in the coop to keep her and everyone else warm.

So, what's up? Do I need to get Chickie Rogaine, or what?

--Nikki

 

[gritsar]

She's probably molting. Although the first adult molt is usually around 18 months old, some are late molters and some are early.

 

[chfite]

Mine are molting. Bare butts. Ugly, partially feathered chickens. Yard looks like a chicken exploded outside.

Chris

 

[theoldchick]

Could be a partial molt.

 

[nikki1]

Whew! I thought maybe she had some weird feather-losing disorder. We go with "molt" unless I see any further symptoms.

--Nikki