Strange Neck Feather Situation

[sprig]

My Plymouth Rock has a strange neck feather situation and I'm not sure what it is. Her comb is also pale and has shrunk. She has been eating and acting fine. She isn't laying, but that has been going on since November. I am finding quite a few of her feathers around so I'm guessing she is molting, but I want to be sure. It has been really cold around here so I thought was a weird time to be molting. She had some poop caked on her bottom that I cleaned off today to make sure that isn't it. I also have a R.I. Red that is perfectly fine.

I attached some pictures and any and all help would be great. Thanks.

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like molting which can start around the neck. I would pick her up and look at her skin all over, and especially around the vent and neck for lice or mites/eggs. If found treat with 5% Sevin dust or permethrin. If she is close to 18 months old she should be the right age to molt, and they do it every 12 months. They don't lay during a molt and when they don't have at least 12 hours of daylight. The comb sometimes turns pale also during molt.

 

[BantamLover21]

Seems like she's molting to me. The strange feathers are new, growing feathers which haven't erupted from their feather sheaths yet. A pale comb is not uncommon with molting birds, and most stop laying during molting, too.

 

[sprig]

Thanks for the responses. She is about 11 months old so I am not sure if this matters or not. I think it has to be molting because everything else looks fine. How long should these feathers be like this?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is only 11 months old, she could be having a mini molt, but I would watch for feather picking. Are their feathers appearing in the coop? That is usually a giveaway for molting. Here is a good link about molting: http://www.grit.com/animals/molting-what-is-it--how-to-help-chickens-get-through-it.aspx

 

[sprig]

Thanks so much. Yes lots of feathers. It has to be that. I'll check out the link.