Molting or Mites?

[BravoCluckhouse]

My gals are 8 months old and the Buff Cochin has been losing feathers. Started with her feet a couple of weeks ago and it is now happening on her neck. None of the other chickens are losing feathers like this, so I’m less inclined to think mites, but this is my first year so I could totally be wrong.

Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[HolyHenHouse]

@Eggcessive
@Debbie292d

 

[HolyHenHouse]

Beautiful Girl!

 

[Debbie292d]

Very pretty!

Molting is a possibility but rare she'd have been losing feathers off of her feet first.

Feather plucking too usually isn't the feet; they're more inclined to go for their tails, back, or butt.

I'm leaning mites here. I would get some Permethrin powder and dust your chickens and the coop well. It needs to be repeated in 7-10 days to get any eggs that hatched. Can you inspect her feet close and see if the scales are raised at all. If so, those are scaly leg mites and there's a different treatment for those.

Mites can take a lot out of a chicken so I'd put some poultry vitamins in their water every other day for a week or two.

To be sure it's not a bullying issue, just watch them for about 15-20 minutes sometime to see if another one is picking on her.

 

[BravoCluckhouse]

Thanks @Debbie292d! She's our least social one, so getting a closer look is tough but I was able to get her alone in an enclosed space. No raised scales, and those feathers on her feet seem to have all grown back. The neck feathers also look like they have new growth coming in (the bristles (?) have some feathers emerging out of them). Wasn't able to see any mites, but i know that they're not always readily visible.

Is it normal for only one chicken to show impact from mites?