Molting or Madness??

[jhughett]

One of my newest hens, "LUCY" has been quite a handful since I picked her up from her previous owners. They said she was spunky and harassed their goats.... by spunky I think they meant a tad on the aggressive side. I chuckle now, because I named her on her first appreciated.now I think Lucy is short for
Lu





Lucifer. She chases the ducks, pecks at the back of my female pekins neck, she harasses the first ever of my hens to go broody & she even pecks at my 9 week old chicks if they get too close to the edge of their cage. I cannot count the times I've chased her with the water hose because she is picking on someone. However, when I pick her up she never attempts to peck or scratch me.

I haven't gotten any eggs from her lately so I caught her today. She has a featerless patch on her neck. My first thought was molting but with her aggressive tendencies I wondered if maybe she being a grumpy because someone else is picking on her? Any guidance is appreciated!

 

[redsoxs]

How old is she? She should molt until her second autumn. Mine started to mold in late October last year and some didn't start until late November. Check her over for parasites - that may be the cause of feather loss. Or getting picked by another hen. Is it gradual and/or worsening or did you just notice the bare patch?

 

[Happy Chooks]

It doesn't look like molting. Have you checked her for mites? Could she be stretching her neck through any fences to get goodies on the other side?

 

[Wyandottes7]

That looks like parasite damage to me. As the previous two posters have said, check her for mites. Look around her vent, under her wings, beneath the feathers that cover her tail, and in the area where there is feather damage. Mites and lice will appear as brownish-black specks crawling across the skin.

There are several treatments available for mites and lice. If you want to use natural products, get Poultry Protector (you can get it online at http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Health/Poultry-Protector-p780.aspx). This spray uses natural ingredients to prevent mite infestations, and can treat them.

Sevin Dust (10%) for gardens works better than Poultry Protector and is easy to find. Dust throughout the feathers, and then repeat in a week.

Birds may also be picking on her. Watch them, and see if any chickens chase her or peck her. If you see her being picked on, isolated the picker for two weeks. When you introduce her back into the flock, she will be on the bottom of the pecking order, and will not do any pecking for a while.

 

[jhughett]

She is around a year accordibg to the lady I purchases her from. She has been with us over a month. I use D.E. in the coop, nesting boxes, & out in the yard. I looked her over pretty good yesterday and didn't see anything "mite" like...but I am a rookie. I will try to get better pictures and dust her today. :-(
I've had a run of bad luck lately..so feeling a bit discouraged with my chicken owning skills.

 

[Happy Chooks]

DE is great as a prevantative, but if the birds already have mites/lice, you will still need to dust them every 10 days until they are gone. For mites, look in the coop at night.