Is this Molting???

[toyzbox]

A couple of my EEs seem to have a bare patch at the base of the tail. They are about 9 months old. I didn't think they would molt until they got more like a year old. Could it be something else???

 

[Lollipop]

Wrong time of year for a moult, toyz. Maybe mites. To check for lice/mites, pick a couple off the roost at night and use a flashlight to look under their tail and around the vent. Mites are very tiny, but you can see them if you look close. Could be a rooster problem also, as a lovable roo can wear out the feathers on a pullets back......Pop

 

[speckledhen]

In that area of the body, I'd say not a molt. Do you have a rooster? If not, someone could be plucking her or you could have mites. There is a 9-11 month mini-molt, but I had two pullets who lost weight and tons of feathers then--that molt isn't usually that obvious, though. That one seems to show up in sparse feathering just below their jaw line, on the neck.

 

[toyzbox]

I'll check for the little buggers tonight

So if it's mites what is the treatment? Also do I need to do some cleaning in thier sand boxes or the coop???

 

[sgtmom52]

I had that problem once & had no rooster at the time ~ it was a feather picking hen. It actually was cured by getting a rooster.