Chicken losing neck feathers.

[Cacique500]

I agree with the others...molting. I've got 4 going through a hard molt right now. Every morning the coop looks like they had a pillow fight.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Chickens, sometimes just don't follow the rule book. All my adults molted from October into December. Pullets didn't molt. some (adults) have started laying again the past 10 days or so. I have more chickens than last year, and last year some went hard molt, this year no one went hard molt, just steadily lose feathers and replaced as they fell out. all new now. Maybe I did better giving them higher protein longer instead of layer feed. This year I didn't have any hard molt pictures to put on the molting thread.Best to all you late molters.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Maybe I did better giving them higher protein longer instead of layer feed.

I also don't think protein level is a deciding factor in how hard the molt is. Just in how well and possibly fast the replacement feathers grow in.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

I also don't think protein level is a deciding factor in how hard the molt is. Just in how well and possibly fast the replacement feathers grow in.

Yes, I think that about the protein level. So even though they were blowing those feathers, the replacement were coming in so good, none ever looked bare and terrible. Last year I didn't switch feed, this year I did to a higher protein for all, and there were feathers everywhere, but at the same time, no one out 17 were bare anywhere. So I will try it again this year at molt and see if it happens again. So for me it wasn't a Hard molt . My hard molt was all that bare skin and pin feathers showing. It may well have been a hard molt and just never looked like it. Anyway, that is why I was saying Not a hard molt. They should lose all those feathers and grow in new, some tend to do it all at once (hard molt) some a little at a time until done, That isn't hard to me. But this year they were never bare when feathers fell out. I think that was good.

 

[Runt of the Flock]

I just noticed that my columbian rock cross is losingfeathers around her neck. It's been getting extremely cold, hitting the negatives several times in the past week, and I'm worried about her getting cold. I also don't know why she's losing feathers; all the others seem fine, and it can't be a molt, since it's the middle of winter, right?

Will she be okay? Will she get too cold?

she should be fine as long as she has sufficient light and heat during the bitter cold days. do you have a roo? that could also be from a rooster.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

she should be fine as long as she has sufficient light and heat during the bitter cold days. do you have a roo? that could also be from a rooster.

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Do you have roosters? That is NOTHING like typical rooster damage. Of course there is always a possibility that things won't present in their "typical" manner. So it's nice that you are thinking of all possibilities.

Light in it's natural form is PLENTY. And heat is best avoided UNLESS you have an ill bird. Otherwise it just makes it harder for them to adjust to the temperature differences. Birds have been molting and living in cold areas for a very long time without human intervention.

Of course I realize that we are keeping some breeds in environments that are completely different than what would be their original climate. So trying to keep breed that do well in your weather conditions is important. For example, an Orpington will likely bare cold weather much batter than a Leghorn. And (just guessing at this one) I bet a Leghorn will fair better in hot weather than say a Brahma.