Old bald spot rounding to the front of neck...

[TheGourleyManor]

My mother hen who is living with 10 of her own children (now 21 weeks old—3 cockerels, 7 pullets) and free ranges with our other flock (16 hens and 1 rooster). She came to us with a spot on the back of her head that almost seemed like a line of missing feathers. At the time she was living alone, but she had voluntarily moved onto our property so we don't know a lot about her previous environment. It never changed since this past spring so we've not worried about it (maybe evidence of past mating? Not the mating that created her current brood, it never changed during her time here with us. You can kind of see it in the picture). Now, though, it seems to be spreading to the front of her neck? I don't think it looks red, but she isn't one to let us hold her. She will eat from our hand, but won't let us hold her to get a better look.

I have been watching for signs of aggression and don't seem to see anything since we sold 5 of her cockerels a while ago. They have all been living peacefully with each other. They have more roosting places in the coop at night than we have chickens to roost. Her appetite and behavior seems normal. The only other thing is that she stopped laying about a month ago and we just assumed it was a time of year thing. Her pullets have not started laying, yet, and we have not witnessed the cockerels mounting anyone, either.

Maybe she's molting? Maybe I should be worried about something that should be treated? I don't know.

 

[coach723]

The spot on the back of the head is usually from roosters hanging on there when they mount. Feather loss like that often doesn't fill back in until they do their annual molt. The chin feathers could be feather picking, or molt can't really see up close, but I suspect feather picking. Sometimes broody hens will take picking from other flock mates while they are sitting on their chicks. If she hasn't molted yet this year, she probably will (depending on her actual age). They usually start an annual molt somewhere around 12 to 18 months old, it's variable, depending on the time of year they hatch, for the first. Some may miss the first year and start the second. There is a wide range of normal in molting. If you see pin feathers coming in anywhere on her, then she's molting. Broodies generally stop laying until they have raised and sent off their hatch, and being the time of year it is, and depending on her age, she may not resume laying until spring when the daylight hours are longer. The older they get, the more the daylight hours affect their laying, older birds are more prone to stop during the short days of winter. If she seems healthy and is eating and drinking normally, then I would just keep an eye on her for when she does resume laying.

 

[TheGourleyManor]

Thank you! I have no idea of her age since she moved to our property without her birth certificate sometime around April.

She surprised is with 15 chicks in July—we still have no idea where she was hiding that nest! The Roo that most likely mated her is sadly no longer with us. He was so sweet to her and kept trying to integrate her with his flock, but she would only follow him halfway, then run back to our porch.

I was going out to their run everyday and sitting with the chicks so they would be comfortable with us. One day I noticed that she no longer dropped the treats I brought for the chicks, but ate them herself. A couple of days later, she started laying again. I assume that day was the day she "sent them off." She only laid for a week and a half, then stopped again. I've been hoping she hasn't started collecting another nest in that very secret location while free ranging. I am assuming not since she continues to come home to the coop at night (and off and on during the day as weather dictates), often earlier than her offspring.