Feather Loss on Head

[sunnyflockraiser]

Hello everyone! I have a problem with one of my two year old hens. To be specific she is a Rhode Island Red. During the Winter and Spring she has been progressively losing feathers on her head. She is a very healthy hen other than the loss of feathers on her head. She is actually my best layer! I am at a loss of what to do. I think that it could possibly be mites or some kind of parasite. Does anyone have any advice of what products I could use to help? Anything would be helpful.

Thank You,
-Sunny Flock Raiser

 

[dawg53]

Have you seen her scratching her head? You will have to closely inspect her for lice/mites, especially around the vent area where it's warm and moist. Look for lice eggs at the base of feather shafts.

Do you have a rooster mating with her? Sometimes a rooster will latch on to the top of a hens head while mating which can cause feather loss.
Have you seen other hens picking or pecking at her head, or are there feather pickers in your flock?

Finally, did she go through a minor molt or full blown molt last year? It could be a mini molt, sometimes they occur at different places on the body.

 

[sunnyflockraiser]

Hi!
No, I haven’t noticed her scratching her head lately. She doesn’t seem to bothered by her head

I just checked her vent area and there were no signs of mites.
We also have a flock of five hens and no roosters in our flock. She is the main hen of our flock so it could possibly be feather picking. Whenever I’m around the hens I do not notice any others picking at her.

Her head feathers were okay for awhile but they have suddenly got worse.
Any chance you have recommendations for anything I could use for getting rid of mites?

Thank you!

-Sunny Flock Raiser

 

[dawg53]

If she doesnt have lice or mites, there's no need to treat her. Most folks including me use Permethrin dust or Permethrin liquid 10% liquid concentrate.

Have you noticed any of the feathers on the ground? If not, they are being eaten which would suggest your birds may need more protein in their diet.

 

[micstrachan]

Can you share a photo of her head?