Neck Feathers Missing...HELP, NOT MOLTING!!!

[NNJChickenGuy]

Hello All,

i have one of my girls that has a very wet irritated neck and the feathers seem to be slim or broken in that area. I will try to get a pic tonight when i get home. Anyone have an idea of what this may be?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[Gwynevere]

Without any background info on the environment your chicks roam in its hard to say. I had a chicken once who, in fighting off a coon attack, got all of her neck feathers ripped out. Poor girls neck was very irritated and bleeding. However if you have a rooster then the answer is probably much easier: he's trying to mate with her. When the male mounts he grabs onto the hen's neck with his beak for support. That will take out a few feathers and cause some irritation.

 

[NNJChickenGuy]

We have a very small flock of two right now as we space our girl out so we don't end up with all pets. They are in a 7'x14' run with a coop within. They free range about 3-4x/week in a large fenced in back yard. They seem very stress free and their production hasn't halted in two years now. We r not allowed to have roosters in town. They are fed nothing but organic feed and treats. Oil of oregano in the water and cinnamon and ginger for their health. From what im reading it seems to be mite related. I am going to snap a pic for you tonight when i get home and begin to treat the coop and run for mites. I will also clean the area very well and treat it with castor oil. Ive cured a few issues with that oil.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[NNJChickenGuy]

I think she may be molting as a coworker said they may run a fever during this time and that would explain the wetness under there.

Here are some pics...

 

[Gwynevere]

Are you sure she's not broody? Since the missing feathers are on the front of her neck and her crop/breast area it might be because she is sitting in her "nest" and plucking out some feathers to line it with.