Feather loss on 4 birds, still laying, otherwise healthy

[21hens-incharge]

I am going to hitch on this conversation with a similar situation. This is with two of seven birds, one is 3 and the other 2 years old (picture is of the older bird). Has been going on for perhaps 4 - 5 months now with neck feathers thinning out on the two birds, and now I am beginning to worry about a couple others. Behavior seems normal, egg production is close to normal (it is getting darker earlier). Is all the advice above the same for this? Ivermectin for five weeks?View attachment 1535157

Any roosters Jerry?
Head baldness like that is 90% of the time rooster damage.
No rooster? Dominant hens will mock.mate subordinates too. It causes the same damage.
How does her back look?

 

[JerryC999]

Any roosters Jerry?
Head baldness like that is 90% of the time rooster damage.
No rooster? Dominant hens will mock.mate subordinates too. It causes the same damage.
How does her back look?

No roosters. As for dominance, neither of these are the "new girls" in the coop. Their backs look fine, though. Just around their necks. So, you think it is pecking order? I would have to hang out around the coop coop a whole lot more to check that out.

 

[JerryC999]

Any roosters Jerry?
Head baldness like that is 90% of the time rooster damage.
No rooster? Dominant hens will mock.mate subordinates too. It causes the same damage.
How does her back look?

Also just noticed that the one is also losing from front feathers as well. This picture has both of the affected birds in it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

No roosters. As for dominance, neither of these are the "new girls" in the coop. Their backs look fine, though. Just around their necks. So, you think it is pecking order? I would have to hang out around the coop coop a whole lot more to check that out.

I have seen this happen one is setting eggs or just taking to long to lay and others want THAT nest box. Bossy buggers pull and peck to get the other to leave the nest.
It could be that since their backs look good.

The chest feather loss could be going into a molt since fall is here.

They really are a puzzle to figure out.

 

[jmcjmc]

Well I think I’m officially giving up. The ivermectin hasn’t stopped feather loss. On the Australorp she’s losing feathers on her wings now, too. Still no aggressive behavior I’ve seen. All hens still acting normal and laying normally.

There’s one vet around here who treats poultry. He wants $125 just to see a bird, plus more for testing and meds obviously. I don’t wish any harm on these hens but I’m not in a position to spend hundreds of dollars on them either. So I guess I’ll cross my fingers and hope it goes away eventually.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well I think I’m officially giving up. The ivermectin hasn’t stopped feather loss. On the Australorp she’s losing feathers on her wings now, too. Still no aggressive behavior I’ve seen. All hens still acting normal and laying normally.

There’s one vet around here who treats poultry. He wants $125 just to see a bird, plus more for testing and meds obviously. I don’t wish any harm on these hens but I’m not in a position to spend hundreds of dollars on them either. So I guess I’ll cross my fingers and hope it goes away eventually.

@jmcjmc can you post some updated photos?

It is now molting season - do you think your BA is molting?

 

[jmcjmc]

Sorry, I didn't get a notification of the reply. Here are some pics. These girls are only about a year and a half old, so I've never seen a full molt. I can't be sure this isn't molting, but it doesn't look like any molting I've ever read about. Their skin is still really red where feathers are gone. The Black Star's butt, below her vent, is still as puffy and red as ever.

I don't think there's been any additional feather loss on the EE or the RIR. They're missing some feathers above their tails and around their vents - but it's minor compared to the other two and it hasn't changed in months.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do they seem to scratch at themselves a lot?

 

[jmcjmc]

Do they seem to scratch at themselves a lot?

Nope. My wife's been letting them just run around the backyard a lot lately, so I've had a lot of opportunity to see them. They act like... chickens. Lots of bug-hunting and plant eating. Lots of dust-bathing. Nothing abnormal and no scratching that I've noticed.