Bird losing "feathery" part of head feathers?

[granitechickenh]

SO one of our birds has something weird going on with her head. It's winter in NH right now and pretty cold but everyone seems fine. Our one leghorn looks like her feather on her head are losing the "feathery part" just looks like spine remaining. It almost looks like new feathers growing in but neither my wife nor I remember her showing any major feather loss. I haven't seen any signs of mites. I couldn't find much on google cause its kind of hard to put into words. Any advice out there? anyone seen something like this before?

 

[mesopretty]

I’m no expert but we have a BO that started loosing feathers around her face,neck, and chest and I think it’s her first molting taking place maybe that’s what’s happening?

 

[granitechickenh]

I was thinking maybe that we're still pretty new to raising the girls, only had one bird go through molt. I'm not too worried she seems to be eating drinking and shitting. My wife assumes all of our birds are going to die.

 

[drumstick diva]

It's hard to be a chicken mama, just like having babies. After you've done it for quite awhile, you stop thinking the sky is falling. Do you think other chickens are pulling out her feathers? Chickens feather peck/eating feathers usually means a need for more protein, in the diet.

 

[azygous]

Could you post another photo? This time give us a closeup of those feathers in question. When you post, select the "full size image" at the top so we can then zoom in.

It sounds like your girl is beginning molt. The feathers you describe sound like pin feathers, new feathers emerging. As they do so, they push out the old feathers and they fall to the ground. The process continues until the entire body has been replaced with new feathers. The sign of molt are the uniform "porcupine quills" in areas of thinning and battered feathers.

 

[granitechickenh]

Definitely looks like molt now. Didn't occur to me because she isn't even a year old yet. Any reason she would molt so early in the middle of winter?

 

[granitechickenh]

So yeah now that I have something easier to google, it seems this is pretty normal. Seems like she was afflicted with the disease of over reacting owners.

 

[azygous]

There one thing about molt - some chickens don't obey the rules and molt when they darned well feel like it. I had a Cream Legbar skip her first molt completely, and she is only just now going through it. She's nearly two years old. Her mother did the same thing, only waited until she was two and a half to molt for the first time.