Hens head and neck feathers

[DC_WIngnut]

So I recently had to rehome a rooster who was just hitting maturity. About a week ago.

We have 16 hens, 7 that are around 8 months and 8 that are approx 4months. The rooster we rehomed was from the same hatch as the 4 month crew and we still have an immature rooster who joined our group without much squabble a week or two after the 4 month crew with two other hens the same age. They were about a month younger than the four month group so the rooster still here is 14 weeks currently.

He’s not the issue. A hen from our og crew that is 8 months has recently looked strange. All the other gals from her hatch are fine but she has what looks like pin feathers around her eyes and on her lower chin/neck. We’ve had some cold snaps and warm spells back and forth over the last two months here and I noticed more pins and feathers coming in on our 4 month hens heads.

Her eyes look good and her demeanor seems normal. No mites or lice or anything looking weird other than her head and neck feathers and her comb is the least bright and smallest of her age group. I took notice of this today but she seems fine. I thought
maybe it was the cold setting in around here in the last two weeks Casio g more feather growth but all the other hens her age look like they have no new growth besides her

 

[Rose the Legbar]

It does look like she is experiencing some sort of a soft molt. Totally normal! My first girls hatched in march and did a soft molt their first winter as well. She may be the only one that molts this year, or the first one of the many.

 

[DC_WIngnut]

It does look like she is experiencing some sort of a soft molt. Totally normal! My first girls hatched in march and did a soft molt their first winter as well. She may be the only one that molts this year, or the first one of the many.

I wasn’t sure if that was a thing until I read through a few other threads. She seems to be the only one with some neck and that many face feathers regrowing in. One other hen has two little patches of new feathers on her face. The rest look normal. We’re still getting anywhere from 3-4 eggs a day from the 7 that are laying age despite the darker days. Thanks for replying! I appreciate your response.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I wasn’t sure if that was a thing until I read through a few other threads. She seems to be the only one with some neck and that many face feathers regrowing in. One other hen has two little patches of new feathers on her face. The rest look normal. We’re still getting anywhere from 3-4 eggs a day from the 7 that are laying age despite the darker days. Thanks for replying! I appreciate your response.

I have 7 also and have one that has lost most of her tail feathers and a bunch on the back of her neck. I see all new feathers coming in on the back of her neck and hope she feathers out fast before our Wisconsin weather changes to much colder temps. I noticed that her comb was much paler then the others also.