Help! My cockerel suddenly started balding.

[ella2025]

Today on this wet rainy day, I came into he chicken coop to see my ameraucana rooster with a big pale bald spot on his beard. Actually, it's more like 2, one on his right side and one under his beak. Just yesterday when I came into the coop he was completely normal. (Last photo is from yesterday). I checked over and around the spot to see if there's any mites, but not any that I can see. He doesn't have any other roosters in his coop to fight with, and the bald spots look too round to be injuries from fights. He was born in march. Could this be a mini molt? I included a poop picture too below. What could be going on? How can I treat this?

 

[Yardmom]

Nothing to treat. After he molts the feathers will grow back. It is possible that it is the start of a molt, but it is more likely from the hens grooming him.

 

[coach723]

The hens are probably feather picking him, and likely on the roosts. It happens and boys will put up with it sometimes.

 

[ella2025]

Nothing to treat. After he molts the feathers will grow back. It is possible that it is the start of a molt, but it is more likely from the hens grooming him.

The hens are probably feather picking him, and likely on the roosts. It happens and boys will put up with it sometimes.

Thank you! I was worried because it happened so suddenly.

 

[ella2025]

His entire beard is now gone. What is going on? I will go check on him roosting now and will update ASAP.

 

[akitafriendakita]

Probably just mild feather damage, molting, or grooming. You can see new pin feathers growing in. I have a couple bearded silkies hens who sometimes eventually lose their beard too as they age, could be something like that. It seems like beard feathers are kinda small and delicate and just come off easily from friction or whatever.

Whatever it is, it does not appear to mites and seems completely harmless. Especially because you can see the new feathers regrowing easily and there are no visible mites present in the photo.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Normal and harmless (unless he's a show bird I suppose). Happens to most bearded birds and even moreso to males with an adoring flock of females. He'll stay patchy or bare chinned until his next molt, at which point the hens will simply preen him bald again.

 

[ella2025]

I checked on him. No mites or lice. Probably just feather picking. My only other bearded (adult) chicken Cindy is balding too. Is there anything I can do to stop the feather picker? They are all on 20% protein all flock feed and protein and lack of nutrients can't really be a cause of this. I'm really angry because I love bearded bird and chose a bearded rooster on purpose to hatch more bearded chicks, and now they're all gonna have bald necks. I do have on other 14 week old bearded chick, and I'm just gonna pray nothing happens to her fabulous beard.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can try pick-no-more lotion but it's not really a long term solution as it needs to be applied regularly (and it also stains purple).

I currently have 3 bearded hens and only 1 has an intact beard simply because she's too skittish to let the others groom her.

 

[ella2025]

You can try pick-no-more lotion but it's not really a long term solution as it needs to be applied regularly (and it also stains purple).

I currently have 3 bearded hens and only 1 has an intact beard simply because she's too skittish to let the others groom her.

Do you know why they do this and why it's never happened before? Did they only start grooming eachother now that they're (pretty much)full grown and laying eggs?