Chicken with bald spot and maybe missing half her comb

[KBsChickies]

I noticed tonight that my BYM hen who is 28 weeks old, has a bald spot on her head and what looks like half her comb missing
I hadn’t noticed anything unusual in the previous days except that yesterday when I went out around 5pm, she was hanging out in the nesting box and hadn’t laid her egg yet so I left her alone.
I checked the coop cam later that night and she was sleeping in the nesting box so I decided to check on her today in case she may be egg bound or something. She laid her egg like normal and seems completely fine and then I realized the bald spot and comb. There’s no blood and hasn’t been. It doesn’t look like a wound per say, or at least not a fresh one. The weirdest part is that half her comb looks like it’s gone
Any advice on what to do for her?
And any advice on what to do when I figure out if it’s one if the other chickens harassing her? (Side-eying my Lavender Orpington, Bertha )

 

[ella2025]

Her comb looks okay and not missing parts. I'm not sure about the balding. It looks to me like maybe a partial molt?

 

[KBsChickies]

Her comb looks okay and not missing parts. I'm not sure about the balding. It looks to me like maybe a partial molt?

That is so reassuring to hear! I’m a newbie chicken lady so I’m hyper-vigilant and just want happy and healthy chickies!
I just wasn’t sure if the sleeping in the nesting box was her getting “kicked out” of the roosting bars since she has always been in the top 3 for pecking order.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[ella2025]

That is so reassuring to hear! I’m a newbie chicken lady so I’m hyper-vigilant and just want happy and healthy chickies!
I just wasn’t sure if the sleeping in the nesting box was her getting “kicked out” of the roosting bars since she has always been in the top 3 for pecking order.
Thanks for your reply!

@Wyorp Rock

 

[NatJ]

The weirdest part is that half her comb looks like it’s gone

That looks like a complete comb to me, with nothing missing, based on what I have seen of other chickens with that style of comb. But it would be better to compare with pictures of her own past self, instead of with what is "normal" for other chickens.

Do you have any pictures of her in the past?

 

[KBsChickies]

That looks like a complete comb to me, with nothing missing, based on what I have seen of other chickens with that style of comb. But it would be better to compare with pictures of her own past self, instead of with what is "normal" for other chickens.

Do you have any pictures of her in the past?

Okay, looking at past photos her comb does look fully intact.. It just looked so small without her little tuft on top.
Here’s a photo from about a month ago!

 

[NatJ]

Okay, looking at past photos her comb does look fully intact.. It just looked so small without her little tuft on top.
Here’s a photo from about a month ago!

Yes, it does look different with the tuft of feathers behind the comb


In that case, the bare spot is because the tuft of feathers is missing.

She might be molting (feathers naturally fall out and new ones grow in their place). If she is molting, it is not a problem.

Or other chickens may have pulled out those feathers. New feathers will grow to replace the missing ones, but the other chickens may pull them out too. This can turn into a big problem, with more and more feathers getting pulled and her skin getting picked and bleeding, or it may just be a minor thing that makes her look less pretty.

For now, I would keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes. If she acts normal, things are probably fine. If you see her trying to stay away from the other chickens, you might have a problem (she might stand in corners, or spend all day up on the roost, or various other ways of staying away from the others if they pull feathers and pick at her.)

 

[KBsChickies]

Yes, it does look different with the tuft of feathers behind the comb


In that case, the bare spot is because the tuft of feathers is missing.

She might be molting (feathers naturally fall out and new ones grow in their place). If she is molting, it is not a problem.

Or other chickens may have pulled out those feathers. New feathers will grow to replace the missing ones, but the other chickens may pull them out too. This can turn into a big problem, with more and more feathers getting pulled and her skin getting picked and bleeding, or it may just be a minor thing that makes her look less pretty.

For now, I would keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes. If she acts normal, things are probably fine. If you see her trying to stay away from the other chickens, you might have a problem (she might stand in corners, or spend all day up on the roost, or various other ways of staying away from the others if they pull feathers and pick at her.)

Thank you so much for the thoughts and advice! She’s been normal today and is hanging out with all of the others so I’m optimistic! I’ll be keeping an eye on everything and how everyone is getting along though still.
Hopefully it’s just that she has a male pattern baldness approach to molting
Thank you so much again!

 

[tlcmurphy]

Looks like you have a feather plucker

Combs bleed like the dickens, you would definitely know if a piece was missing on a white bird!

 

[NatJ]

Combs bleed like the dickens, you would definitely know if a piece was missing on a white bird!

If it was pecked, definitely.

In some climates a chicken can lose part of a comb to frostbite, and that does tend to fall off without bleeding all over. But I don't think this is the right season for frostbite in most of the world.