EE Beard feather question

[Loveak9]

Our black EE about 5 months old, just starting laying has missing feather just below the beak, kinda in the beard area. I am not sure if some one is plucking them in the flock (she is middle of the road for pecking order out of 6 (2- 9 month barred rock, 2 - 5 month bluffs & other 5 month EE). She can be eating them. I have looking everyone over cant see any mites-bugs. Everyone is acting normal & poop is mostly formed.

I think she is just getting new beard feather or a least that's what I am hoping some one with more chicken experiance will say. This is our 1st flock, so lots of learning going on.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Have you noticed any feather plucking from the rest of the flock? Is she the bottom of the pecking order?

 

[Loveak9]

I get a rare feather in the coop, mostly the outside feather not the down ones. I don't really know what else to look for on feather pecking issues. No one else has any missing feather areas. She middle of the flock.

 

[PirateGirl]

I think your other chickens have plucked out her beard, there look to be broken feathers. This is not entirely uncommon. My ameraucana spent the better part of last year beardless. The other girls weren't mean, but would pluck any sloppy food out of her beard and took all the feathers with it. Her beard grew back after molt.

 

[coach723]

Sometimes the picking/plucking happens on the roosts at night. It does look plucked, but a few look like new feathers trying to come in. If your coop is large enough to add another roost for more space, that may help stop the plucking.

 

[Loveak9]

We have an L shaped roost, she always seems to end up in the middle. I think its 9ft of roost for 6 bird. They all seem to roost mostly in 4 1/2 ft.