Feathers

[jerrysgirl1984]

Hope this is the correct forum for this one, I dont know if its injury from pecking/fighting or other, I noticed that 2 of my BB Red English Bantams have feathers out around the neck head area, could this be from pulling each others feathers out or another issue? They are 21 wks old, I am under the impression too young for molting. Thank you

 

[Shadrach]

Hope this is the correct forum for this one, I dont know if its injury from pecking/fighting or other, I noticed that 2 of my BB Red English Bantams have feathers out around the neck head area, could this be from pulling each others feathers out or another issue? They are 21 wks old, I am under the impression too young for molting. Thank you

Do you have a cockerel in the flock?

 

[jerrysgirl1984]

the 2 missing feathers are cockerel

 

[Shadrach]

the 2 missing feathers are cockerel

Sorry, didn't look at the pictures.

 

[jerrysgirl1984]

Sorry, didn't look at the pictures.

thats ok

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's not from molting, molting looks different. Something is pulling the feathers out. If it were only one I'd say maybe a predator grabbed for its head and got a bunch of feathers, but for two to look identical, I don't consider that coincidence to be that likely.

From its location, to me that looks like the damage a male, usually a cockerel, can do to a female when mating. Part of the mating act includes the one on top grabbing the back of the head of the one on bottom, that's a signal for the female to raise her tail out of the way and give him a shot at the target.

I know those are cockerels, but the mating act is also a dominance maneuver. The one on bottom is accepting the domination of the one on top, either willingly or by force. It is not unheard of for a male to mount another male to show that dominance. Have you observed anything like that or with your flock make-up, is that likely?

When two chickens fight and one winds up on the ground hunkered into a corner, the winner often tries to peck the head. That doesn't really look like that, when they do that they are not pecking feathers, they are trying to drive their beak into the other one's brain. You don't wind up with bald patches, you have bleeding chickens. I don't think that is it.

I have seen one chicken "groom" another by plucking feathers to the point they create a bald spot. When I've seen that, it was on the front of the throat, not on back like that.

For that kind of damage on cockerels the only thing that seems to fit is that another chicken is "mating" them and doing a forceful but clumsy job of it. It could be another more-dominant male or the head hen may be demonstrating her dominance over those immature boys if there is no dominant male in the flock.

That is a strange one.

 

[jerrysgirl1984]

That's not from molting, molting looks different. Something is pulling the feathers out. If it were only one I'd say maybe a predator grabbed for its head and got a bunch of feathers, but for two to look identical, I don't consider that coincidence to be that likely.

From its location, to me that looks like the damage a male, usually a cockerel, can do to a female when mating. Part of the mating act includes the one on top grabbing the back of the head of the one on bottom, that's a signal for the female to raise her tail out of the way and give him a shot at the target.

I know those are cockerels, but the mating act is also a dominance maneuver. The one on bottom is accepting the domination of the one on top, either willingly or by force. It is not unheard of for a male to mount another male to show that dominance. Have you observed anything like that or with your flock make-up, is that likely?

When two chickens fight and one winds up on the ground hunkered into a corner, the winner often tries to peck the head. That doesn't really look like that, when they do that they are not pecking feathers, they are trying to drive their beak into the other one's brain. You don't wind up with bald patches, you have bleeding chickens. I don't think that is it.

I have seen one chicken "groom" another by plucking feathers to the point they create a bald spot. When I've seen that, it was on the front of the throat, not on back like that.

For that kind of damage on cockerels the only thing that seems to fit is that another chicken is "mating" them and doing a forceful but clumsy job of it. It could be another more-dominant male or the head hen may be demonstrating her dominance over those immature boys if there is no dominant male in the flock.

That is a strange one.

 

[jerrysgirl1984]

Thank you for all the wonderful information, I believe your right about the 2 boys, thats very likely they fight sometimes but I havent noticed the mating thing but its certainly possible.

That's not from molting, molting looks different. Something is pulling the feathers out. If it were only one I'd say maybe a predator grabbed for its head and got a bunch of feathers, but for two to look identical, I don't consider that coincidence to be that likely.

From its location, to me that looks like the damage a male, usually a cockerel, can do to a female when mating. Part of the mating act includes the one on top grabbing the back of the head of the one on bottom, that's a signal for the female to raise her tail out of the way and give him a shot at the target.

I know those are cockerels, but the mating act is also a dominance maneuver. The one on bottom is accepting the domination of the one on top, either willingly or by force. It is not unheard of for a male to mount another male to show that dominance. Have you observed anything like that or with your flock make-up, is that likely?

When two chickens fight and one winds up on the ground hunkered into a corner, the winner often tries to peck the head. That doesn't really look like that, when they do that they are not pecking feathers, they are trying to drive their beak into the other one's brain. You don't wind up with bald patches, you have bleeding chickens. I don't think that is it.

I have seen one chicken "groom" another by plucking feathers to the point they create a bald spot. When I've seen that, it was on the front of the throat, not on back like that.

For that kind of damage on cockerels the only thing that seems to fit is that another chicken is "mating" them and doing a forceful but clumsy job of it. It could be another more-dominant male or the head hen may be demonstrating her dominance over those immature boys if there is no dominant male in the flock.

That is a strange one.