Neck feathers being eaten by something!

[cranberrycreekchickens]

On several of my chickens I was noticing that some of the neck feathers are being eaten by something. Some of the feathers are eaten right back to stumps, and some are just quills! Do you think mice would climb right on to the neck? All their other feathers are fine including the tail feathers so I am thinking it could be some kind of mites or something.

Please reply I really want to stop this!

Roman

 

[silkiechicken]

Do you have pictures?

Are there any pin feathers?

Could they be starting to moult?

Do you have a rooster?

Chickens will peck at each other if they are bored or needing protein.

What are you feeding them?

Have you checked for lice?

 

[Wynette]

I just posted a similar topic this morning with pictures - please take a look; maybe your issue is similar?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=39929

Good luck!

 

[cranberrycreekchickens]

The chickens that have them are all roosters. I am feeding them layer ration but maybe I should start feeding more protien.

Wynette my chickens do look similar to yours, although not quite as bad.

I also am seeing a little bit of dry blood on some of the new stubbs!

 

[silkiechicken]

Ah, the dry blood on new stubs means somebody is pecking on them. The new stubs shouldn't be bloody. The feathers that come out of the bloody stubs, if the whole quill doesn't die, will probably be truncated.

If you do suspect picking, anti-pick/hot-pick/blue kote may help.

 

[cranberrycreekchickens]

I can't really see him getting picked on. He is the only rooster in the coop and there is only two hens who are smaller then him.

Still its a possibility I guess I'll have to keep an eye on them.

 

[silkiechicken]

I caught my hen in action once who was picking my rooster bald!!! He just stood there and "took it like a man" as the girls yanked out and ate the feathers... I put them all on "layer supplement" and it stopped.

 

[d.k]

*dlhunicorn just answered a post about picking, saying its attribitable(sp) in part to a sulphur/methionine deficiency. . I did a really quick look round and CABBAGE is a decent veg source of sulphur. Its what makes it smell when you cook it.