New hens, beards plucked out?

[kleekailove]

I just got three 1.5 year old Salmon Faverolles and they are all missing their beards! The lady I purchased them from didn't seem to know anything about their missing beards because she said they were rescued from a family who could no longer care for their chickens and she's only had them a few months.

Could they have been plucked out by other chickens? I heard that this breed is usually at the bottom of the pecking order when in a mixed flock. The lady had them with Austrothorps. Let me know what you think!

 

[keesmom]

They've been plucked. Even some Faverolles will pluck others' beards. It often happens when they are fed a diet deficient in protein or when the birds are in close confinement with little to do. The beards will grow back, but probably not until they molt.

It probably happened in their original home, so that could be why the lady you got them from didn't notice.

 

[kleekailove]

Thank you! That is reassuring to know that they will grow back