Silkie with naked face?

[angmcc1]

Hi all! I'm a new chicken owner and have 6 cute little babies in my backyard. My 4/5 week old Silkie has started to lose face/neck hair. I purchased her from a local farm store and she is healthy, active and overall so sweet. Why is she losing her face hair? Do I have a parasite on my hands or does she happen to be a showgirl? Pics attached at 1/2 weeks and yesterday (a bit blurry because it's a screen capture of a video).

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Looks like parasites or plucking from another bird maybe. Showgirls are hatched without the feathers in the area they won't be, meaning already naked neck.

I strongly suggest using Permethrin spray. It's safe, effective, affordable, easy to use, no withdrawal time for eggs, and labeled for use in chickens... This one was in the equine section for under $8 lasted more than 2 years with 82+ birds, 2 large goats, and 3 medium dogs. I bought it for mosquitoes but it works on MANY things!

With feathers parted so it hits skin... a small spritz below the vent, under each wing pit, and to the nape of the neck. Repeat in 7-10 days according to directions, depending on which parasite you are treating.

Good luck!

 

[angmcc1]

Looks like parasites or plucking from another bird maybe. Showgirls are hatched without the feathers in the area they won't be, meaning already naked neck.

I strongly suggest using Permethrin spray. It's safe, effective, affordable, easy to use, no withdrawal time for eggs, and labeled for use in chickens... This one was in the equine section for under $8 lasted more than 2 years with 82+ birds, 2 large goats, and 3 medium dogs. I bought it for mosquitoes but it works on MANY things!

With feathers parted so it hits skin... a small spritz below the vent, under each wing pit, and to the nape of the neck. Repeat in 7-10 days according to directions, depending on which parasite you are treating.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm also wondering if it could be because when I feed them watermelon, she gets right up inside the melon and digs in. I don't have a single other bird with any sort of issue with their feathers.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm also wondering if it could be because when I feed them watermelon, she gets right up inside the melon and digs in. I don't have a single other bird with any sort of issue with their feathers.

I did consider this a possibility... when I used to do fermented feed majority of my bearded birds lost their beards... due to the FF drying on and other birds helping them "clean" it. But it had clumps left behind for them to peck at. MAYBE... the acidity in the melon is having some effect?

Check said chick after dark with a flash light tonight to see if there are any crawlies near the vent/abdomen... It's true that the beard would not be average place to see them... However poultry head lice will not leave the head... but for it to be bad enough to cause any balding I would *think* you might be able to see the bugs near the eyes.

Also some are microscopic and others don't live on the birds but only come out to feed on them. So sometimes we are JUST looking at the evidence. The skin doesn't look irritated to me... but maybe it's hard to tell.

They do look like cute babies in your first pic!