D'Uccle feathering

[Ravyn]

Hi everyone, I'm mostly a lurker on BYC, but I have a question I can't find the answer to. I recently bought 1 roo and 3 hens(Porcelain D'Uccles) My roo has a great beard on him, but my hens don't. They are barely 1yr old and they seem to be bald with tiny pin feathers emerging on their chins/neck. I have read that D'Uccles are slow to mature. Why do my D'Uccle hen have no beard. Could they be close to molting time or does it take a while to develop a beard? They were hatched July of last year. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about.

Thank You!

 

[ve]

Can be feather picking or mites.I have Salmon Faverolles roo and after he drinks water hens start pulling his wet beard.Now he looks like your hens.But also can be molting,at 1 y they can start it

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

My roo was bald all around his neck when I got him with tiny pin feathers. I thought he had mites but, was molting. He molted on his face first, then tail feathers. For whatever reason it took about 2 months for his face feathers to fill back out.

Some of the hens I had were more bearded than others. Check for mites and picking for sure.

Good luck.

 

[chickenlady]

Is it possible that your hen is a booted bantam and not a d'uccle? A booted bantam does not have a beard while a d'uccle does.

 

[chsfairy2007]

It's true, Booted Bantams do not have beards like d'Uccles. However, your hens still look to be d'Uccles to me. If your hens were Booted Bantams, you could see wattles:

http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww310/chsfairy2007/Chickens/IMG_1341.jpg

Sometimes, other d'Uccles will just have thicker muffs/beards than others. Sounds like you just have some work to do.

Good luck!

 

[pbjmaker]

My d'uccles plucked each others beards off this winter when they were bored. They grew back just fine. Check for mites. If there are pin feathers it sounds like they are already growing back in.

 

[Ravyn]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to go ahead and dust them for mites. I've been watching them and haven't noticed any feather picking. I have also noticed that they are starting to drop more feathers a couple at a time. They are looking pretty rough around the edges. So I'm hoping they are just starting their molt. Thanks Again!!

 

[wegotchickens]

My millies have all started molting within the past week, so this may just be 'that time of year' for them.

If you suspect molting, upping their protein intake helps feathers come back in quicker and sleeker.

Also, look around their vent area. If they have mites you'll see them moving around in that area.

 

[ErnieBerley]

what about their feet feathers? my rooster has long feathers, one pin feather seems to be missing and he's limping bad... not feeling well. It's like the feather has been pulled out.... what to do? could this cause pain?