Dry featherless chicken head

[tastacy]

Was wondering what this might be and possible treatment. Chicken is a frizzle and I thought it might be fragile head feathers but the skin has a whitish appearance almost like what a baby gets like cradle cap. I looked and didn’t find any mites in the coop and on the chicken but treated the coop with diatomaceous earth and it’s still early in the year for bug issues. None of the other chickens are effected. Doesn’t seem to be a pecking issue. Any suggestions is appreciated

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's definitely being caused by other birds. Either roosters mating or others pulling them out. What other breeds is she with?

 

[tastacy]

She is a bantam Brahma frizzle, she is with 2 polish and other bantam chickens, 2 Sebrights, 2 brahmas, a silky, a Easter egger and, a D’uccle. She does get pecked at if she gets in the way of the bigger chickens but none of them go after her. They get along pretty well. I don’t have roosters. I watch them out the window and don’t believe she’s getting bother to much unless it happens at night in the coop.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She's a bantam Cochin. I sometimes get a hen or two who loses feathers on her head over the season. They will not grow back until the fall molt generally.

It doesn't take too many times to pluck their head of feathers. You may not see it happening, but somebody is doing it. It won't harm her unless you start to see wounds.

Sometimes other hens will peck each other in the nestboxes to get one hen to move, so that may be when it's happening. I've seen my little bantams get rough pecking to get a certain nestbox to sit in.

 

[tastacy]

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond and help PJ (that’s her name). I hope she gets her feathers back soon she’s my favorite chicken.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She will probably remain bald until the fall molt unfortunately. I've had this happen to one of my frizzles a time or two.