Bare spot/missing feathers on throat

[wholehearted]

I have an 11 week old Ameraucana pullet that has a bare spot/missing feathers on her throat.

She is the only one out of our eighteen chickens having this issue.

I just noticed this when I picked her up to check her mouth due to having her beak open a lot. She has always walked around with beak open a lot, but seems to be doing so even more now. Not sure if the missing feathers and the open mouth are related at all. It was when I was checking her mouth that I noticed the feather loss. Everything looks normal inside her mouth. The skin where the feathers are missing does not look irritated or red at all.

She is eating fermented feed and drinking normally. Looks and acts healthy. None of the other birds seem to be picking at her or removing the feathers. I don't see how she could reach them herself as they are right under the beak.

Just wondering if anyone has a clue what would cause this bare spot?

 

[Eggcessive]

Birds who are hot will breathe with beaks open, and will also hold their wings away from their bodies. I have several breeds with muffs, and the seem to attract the buddies who groom them on the roost, pulling out beards. A bad tasting cream like Bag Balm or Nustock, or an anti-pick lotion applied to the bare spot may help prevent it. Of course, check for lice and mites, and dust them with poultry dust if you see signs.

 

[wholehearted]

Thank you! I had not thought about the possibility of grooming on the roost. Will definitely put something on it and see if that helps. I don't see any evidence of lice or mites on her or others, but I will keep a close eye on them.

The weird thing about the open beak is that she does it regularly and it seems unrelated to temperature. For example, today it is barely 70 degrees and none of the other chickens are doing it. I suppose anything is possible though.

 

[Eggcessive]

I used to have a very large fat buff brahma who breathed with her mouth open all of the time.