Molting or bullying or parasite?

[Panhandler80]

My chickens will be one year old tomorrow. Actually, it might be today.

Just now noticed these bare and thinning spots just ventral and anterior of tail.

Quick Google indicates that molting occurs around 18 months and begins at head and neck.

Facts:

- 4 or 5 out of 21 exhibit this
- zero witnessed bullying
- 24 hour access to approximately 500 ft run
- 8x8 coop with zero obstruction on ground
- sealed floor with rough pine shavings
- shavings changed One month ago
- shavings have not been turned yet (need to)
- 24 hr access to food and water
- 32 feet of roosting space
- chickens seem very happy
- Ample activities in run
- great ventilation
- NW Florida
- Purina Layena feed
- 16-20 eggs / day

Pics in next post

 

[Panhandler80]

 

[Myrshine]

Do you have a rooster? Have you throughly checked them for lice or mites?

 

[Panhandler80]

No rooster. Have not checked for bugs. Where / how do I go about that and what’s the cure? Think I read a long time ago about looking around vent for them. Any maybe checking coop at night? I’ll start research. Grrrrrr.

definitely not molting, huh?

 

[Myrshine]

It can be molting, for sure. You can check for lice/mites around the abdomen, under the wings, around the vent and on the back. If you see nothing, then, it's most likely molting.

 

[Panhandler80]

Yikes...

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

Sounds like I may already have a pretty good infestation. The entire run is a dust bath.

 

[Panhandler80]

Going to check for lice and mites this evening.

Everything I’m reading says molt begins at head and neck? Is this always the case?

Even if it’s not, I’m worried about an infestation. What are the chances that 4 or 5 are all molting from the wrong end at the wrong time? Pretty slim I’d say!

 

[Panhandler80]

I looked all around the vents and I don’t see anything growing they all look healthy. No bugs no nothing.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Hmmm. I've never had a chicken molt from that end but stranger things have definitely happened. If you dont see any bugs then that's a good sign. I would maybe watch them as they start to roost. Whenever I've had a plucking problem that's when it would happen.

 

[Panhandler80]

Upon closer inspection some do have some sorry feathers around their necks.

When I inspected the bare spots on the rumps.. There were pinfeathers coming in. But they were sporadic. That made me nervous.

Maybe it’s just a random bolt. But the back of some of those chickens were bare. And I expect pinfeather to come in some work in uniform but maybe I’m wrong