Does this look like bullying?

[alknoll]

This is a picture of one of my neighbor’s hens. I’ve never seen any pecking or bullying first hand, but I noticed another hen before this that also has some bare patches. Sorry for unclear photo, I couldn’t get close to the hen in question. She has a bare neck... thoughts?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She has a bare neck... thoughts?

Hi there and thank you for being concerned about your neighbors animals.

No, that looks nothing like bullying and there are a few possibilities.

First would be molting.. birds lose feathers and get bare patches to varying degrees. Many birds are molting this time of year, depending on age and other factors.

Second would be over preening maybe by a flock mate cleaning the beard if they were getting wet feed (I think I see the muffs still though). Feathers that get broken or pulled will often not grow back in until molt does happen.

Third.. parasites like lice or mites.. causing itching and scratching that has presented like this.. Not the *usual* location to present, but nothing gets discounted until ruled out.

They look like lovely birds.. and Easter Egger and a Leghorn.

 

[Mrs. K]

You can see fall foliage, so I too would think molting. I have had chickens that loose a few feathers, get some thin spots, some bare spots slowly over a period of weeks, gradually replacing with new feathers. Then I have had where I walked to the coop to a pile of feathers, where I thought something had been killed. A nearly bare naked chicken on the roost, with in a week she had new feathers, and in 3 looked fantastic. I am pretty sure it is molt.

 

[alknoll]

Thank you for your replies. I have seen another chicken in this flock lose feathers in the saddle area (no roosters present) and grew them back - so that would support molting. I’ve never seen a molt before so I was hoping that’s all this was.

 

[Mrs. K]

Truthfully the first time I saw molt, I thought they were sick and dying, they just look old and ragged. Then the feathers grow in, and they look brand new.