Molting too young?

[Lilbitchickenkeeper]

I'll try but she's a bit skittish, Just compared to how she looked a few weeks ago I am able to make out her neck line instead of seeing a fat chicken in feathers she is lookied a bit ragged.

 

[Lilbitchickenkeeper]

Apologies, I must have misread your first post. I thought you said it was their backs. It may just be a soft, early moult. Can you see any pin feathers coming through?

If I can catch her I will look. Maybe not till later cause I gotta work. But I started to add some vitamins to their water and some rooster booster for their feed. Don't worry I checked them both and they are not going to overdose on vitamins and minerals.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So a few of my hens are only 10 months old and they appear to be molting. One in particular looks like she is losing all of her neck feathers(not just the few the rooster would pulls out)and a bit around her body. Others have their tail feathers missing. I understand they are not supposed to molt until 18 months. I do have two rather rambuncous young roosters I have not culled yet. I have not noticed the roosters going after the one who has lost the most amount of feathers.
On a possible related not I did have one hen die recently, I think she got stung by a bee while trying to eat it. The only evidence is blood in her mouth and one side of her jaw was really swollen, but maybe she go sick? She was already a sickly chicken (she had a crooked neck that prevented her from moving around much, but she grew and appear healthy until this incident) Could it have something to do with the others molting early?

I came out one day to find dried blood and clots and feathers in her mouth I didn't really notice the swollen jaw till the next day.

Their backs aren't bare it is more along the chest and necks that is looking a bit bare.

Have you looked to see if she has new growth (pin feathers) coming in?
She does look to have some loose feathering.
Check her for lice/mites.
The normal age is for the first adult molt is around 16-18 months of age, but it's not unheard of for birds to molt at an earlier age.

The roosters may be contributing to some of the loss, you may want to observe her to make sure she's not being harassed too much and is eating/drinking well. She may benefit from some extra protein treats. She looks bright eyed and perky to me.

As for your other pullet. It would just be speculation on my part, I'm not a vet nor an expert. The findings of a swollen jaw and blood clots in the beak, she may have swallowed a bee, it would just be hard to know. Crook Neck can be caused from a number of things - genetic deformity to Marek's disease. Since she was able to grow and adapt with her disability, that was good. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Lilbitchickenkeeper]

Have you looked to see if she has new growth (pin feathers) coming in?
She does look to have some loose feathering.
Check her for lice/mites.
The normal age is for the first adult molt is around 16-18 months of age, but it's not unheard of for birds to molt at an earlier age.

The roosters may be contributing to some of the loss, you may want to observe her to make sure she's not being harassed too much and is eating/drinking well. She may benefit from some extra protein treats. She looks bright eyed and perky to me.

As for your other pullet. It would just be speculation on my part, I'm not a vet nor an expert. The findings of a swollen jaw and blood clots in the beak, she may have swallowed a bee, it would just be hard to know. Crook Neck can be caused from a number of things - genetic deformity to Marek's disease. Since she was able to grow and adapt with her disability, that was good. I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks, I really miss her, so far she has been one of 3, that I have named the others are to impersonable.

They all are acting like nothing is wrong with them but they are having and outward appearance that is distubing. I am mainly worried because it is starting to get cold here in NC.

I will update you all as soon as I can. I think I will have to wait until she goes to bed to catch her and get a closer look.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks, I really miss her, so far she has been one of 3, that I have named the others are to impersonable.

They all are acting like nothing is wrong with them but they are having and outward appearance that is distubing. I am mainly worried because it is starting to get cold here in NC.

I will update you all as soon as I can. I think I will have to wait until she goes to bed to catch her and get a closer look.

I have some molting right now too. They seem to manage fine in colder weather. I've had some that were naked in January.