Molting or disease?

[EvansMeXo]

So I wasn't able to get a picture up close if him but one of my cockerels (white chantceler) about 14-16 weeks old is loosing feathers on his head. They look yellowish. I caught him when letting him out this morning and it doesn't look like there is anything on the base of them (I've seen pics of mites or something clinging to feathers so I checked for that and seen nothing) so is this just a molt? Or am I missing something?
Sorry about the crappy pictures. I can try again later when he returns to the coop

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I am sorry that I can't help you identify the issue but I had a Barred Plymouth Rock hen and a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen that had the same thing on their hackles. I am still not sure what it was but they both grew out of on the next molt. If he seems in good health and doesn't seem to be bothered, I would say he is fine. Your cockerel would not be molting until next year though (at least) if he is only 14-16 wks old.

 

[EvansMeXo]

I am sorry that I can't help you identify the issue but I had a Barred Plymouth Rock hen and a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen that had the same thing on their hackles. I am still not sure what it was but they both grew out of on the next molt. If he seems in good health and doesn't seem to be bothered, I would say he is fine. Your cockerel would not be molting until next year though (at least) if he is only 14-16 wks old.

I thought that they went through a few jouvenile moults before reaching maturity and then one adult moult before starting on the annual molts. This is my first flock though so I'm still learning.
He seems perfectly healthy so I'm not too concerned.
I'm just trying to figure out what it is! I have 4 cockerels so I'm trying to rehome 3 BUT i don't want to send them to someone else's flock if there is a chance I'm sending them diseased so I need to figure out what's going on with his feathers

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I thought that they went through a few jouvenile moults before reaching maturity and then one adult moult before starting on the annual molts. This is my first flock though so I'm still learning.
He seems perfectly healthy so I'm not too concerned.
I'm just trying to figure out what it is! I have 4 cockerels so I'm trying to rehome 3 BUT i don't want to send them to someone else's flock if there is a chance I'm sending them diseased so I need to figure out what's going on with his feathers

Hmm... You could be right. My roosters never went through a juvenile molt though... They didn't molt until around a year of age. I would have to do so more research to learn more on the molting patterns to be sure if there are not exceptions though. If I find out what the feather thing is, I will let you know first thing.

 

[coach723]

He could be in his 3rd juvenile molt, and sometimes feather colors change after a molt.
Here is an article on molting in general, and if you scroll down it talks a bit about juvenile molts: http://www.lonestarfarmstead.com/animal-care/understanding-chicken-molt-moult/
And here is one with some interesting pictures of hens and their color changes after molt: https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/10/31/molting-hens-the-price-of-beauty/
Many times birds that are sold as a particular breed are not really 'pure' in their lines so you can end up with some different coloring patterns. Unless you are breeding for a particular breed or showing, it doesn't matter, unless it matters to you. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

He could be in his 3rd juvenile molt, and sometimes feather colors change after a molt.
Here is an article on molting in general, and if you scroll down it talks a bit about juvenile molts: http://www.lonestarfarmstead.com/animal-care/understanding-chicken-molt-moult/
And here is one with some interesting pictures of hens and their color changes after molt: https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/10/31/molting-hens-the-price-of-beauty/
Many times birds that are sold as a particular breed are not really 'pure' in their lines so you can end up with some different coloring patterns. Unless you are breeding for a particular breed or showing, it doesn't matter, unless it matters to you. Hope this helps a little.

That was helpful! I never thought that the first stages were called molting... I thought that they just shed and regrew feathers as they matured... ... and molting was an adult thing.
Good to know.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

View attachment 1127066 View attachment 1127067 View attachment 1127068 So I wasn't able to get a picture up close if him but one of my cockerels (white chantceler) about 14-16 weeks old is loosing feathers on his head. They look yellowish. I caught him when letting him out this morning and it doesn't look like there is anything on the base of them (I've seen pics of mites or something clinging to feathers so I checked for that and seen nothing) so is this just a molt? Or am I missing something?
Sorry about the crappy pictures. I can try again later when he returns to the coop

A 16 weeks old cockerel is unlikely to be going through a full molt. Depending on when he was hatched the first full molt sets in at about 15 to as long as 20 months. However this is prime time of the year for moulting to happen. Like egg laying in hens the molt is triggered by shorter periods of daylight.

 

[EvansMeXo]

He could be in his 3rd juvenile molt, and sometimes feather colors change after a molt.
Here is an article on molting in general, and if you scroll down it talks a bit about juvenile molts: http://www.lonestarfarmstead.com/animal-care/understanding-chicken-molt-moult/
And here is one with some interesting pictures of hens and their color changes after molt: https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/10/31/molting-hens-the-price-of-beauty/
Many times birds that are sold as a particular breed are not really 'pure' in their lines so you can end up with some different coloring patterns. Unless you are breeding for a particular breed or showing, it doesn't matter, unless it matters to you. Hope this helps a little.

Thank you for all the information, it did help a bit

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like he's growing in new feathers - do you see a yellowish looking "sheath" on the feathers growing in. On my white birds new growth can look yellow until the keratin sheath falls or is preened off.