Molting? Lice? Or mites? Oh my.

[joyinbeingamama]

I am not sure what we are dealing with here, but only 1 of the girls has this problem. Can anyone help?

 

[casportpony]

I am not sure what we are dealing with here, but only 1 of the girls has this problem. Can anyone help?

Welcome to BYC! Catch her and inspect her entire body for lice and mites. The bald spot on her neck looks like new feather growth, so maybe she's just molting.

 

[BantyChooks]

Odd pattern for a moult, possibly feather picking? Watch your birds for a while and see if there's any aggression.

 

[getaclue]

Thank you Banty, I was about to say it looks like it might be feather picking. Catch them, and check them over, for lice/mites but it looks more like a result of a squabble or two, to me.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

How old is your lady? She still looks fairly young.

I have had birds with a weird bald spot near the neck turn up before, only to discover it was from the big girls tangling with my Silkie's! Don't mess with crazy mama!

And that isn't what I would expect to see from lice or mites as noted by another poster. Though I do learn new things I don't expect on an ongoing basis.

My best guess at this point would also be pecking order disputes. Feathers that are just broken won't grow back until molt. But ones that are pulled out all the way will often grow back in before molt. Good luck getting it figured out.