Molting?

[Chickens are the best]

One of my hens has a spot on her neck with no feathers. I'm not sure exactly how old she is, but I got her in July about 3-4 months before she started to lay. I've been watching them and I haven't seen any of them pecking her. None of the others have blank spots that I've noticed. Is she being pecked, or is she molting, or something else?

thank you!

 

[azygous]

Not likely molt if she's not even one year old yet. Do you have a rooster? If not, one of the other hens is helping herself to those neck feathers. Pinless peepers work wonders on a feather picker.

 

[Chickens are the best]

Not likely molt if she's not even one year old yet. Do you have a rooster? If not, one of the other hens is helping herself to those neck feathers. Pinless peepers work wonders on a feather picker.

No. We do not have any roosters. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Chickens are the best]

This morning I went out to open their door and I saw that another chicken had the same neck feathers missing. Do I have a neck picker? I haven't had any problems with pecking, do why would they start now?

 

[azygous]

Often it's one individual that does the dirty work. You need to figure out which one it is. Observation is the best way to discover this. I've found that afternoons are prime picking hours as chickens loaf around. The picker will take advantage of a victim as she is relaxing and immobile.

Why they pick is a question as old as humans keeping chickens. I've found that some individuals have a OCD type compulsion to pick feathers. Sometimes introducing more protein into the diet will help in some cases, but if a chicken has a brain hardwired to pick, the only thing I've found that helps is to install pinless peepers on the perpetrator.

 

[staceyj]

Things to rule out:
Lice or mites (check the vent)
Are they too crowded? (Can lead to pecking)

But it IS possible that it's a molt.
I have a flock born last February.
All but one have experienced a molt since early November.
2 of them are welsummers.

Those big tail feathers of yours are looking suspicious to me the way there's a few that are longer than the others...You might see them dropping out in the next few days. Are you noticing feathers in the coop?

Also yours have pale combs.
Thats common either when taking a break from laying, OR while molting.

Mine also lost a lot of neck feathers.
Pick up that chicken, gently- because molting hurts-and lift the wings, and peek around here and there under the outer feathers on its sides, back and neck.
If it's molting, it might look like a porcupine under there!
If so, then you have an answer to your question!

 

[aart]

Why they pick is a question as old as humans keeping chickens. I've found that some individuals have a OCD type compulsion to pick feathers.

Ditto Dat^^^

Just recently ran across this, thought it had some validity.
Interesting reading on feather picking in regards to foraging availability:
http://www.grandin.com/inc/animals.make.us.human.ch7.html

Crowding, low animal protein, boredom are all possible causes of feather picking.
So look at those too.

Always good to rule out external parasites.
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

If you do find some...check out this thread:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray

 

[Chickens are the best]

I checked under their wings, they didn't look porcupiney, I also didn't see any mites or lice under there. I saw there was ANOTHER welsummer who was starting to loose neck feathers. Their necks do not look scabby like if one was pecking them, I plan to go out after dark to see if I can see any mites or lice crawling around on them. I wiped down the nesting boxes and all over the roosing bars with a paper towel. I didn't see any red guts. They are not overcrowded, I gave them a homemade flock block to get rid of boredom. And while I was watching them I didn't see any pecking. I will look at them in the evening when they are all laying around and watch for any peckers. Thank you all for your help!