What happened to his neck feathers?

[Serenity06]

I gave an EE rooster to my mom about a month ago and he has been doing great but today I go over and see that his neck is looking like all down feathers or something? It just looks fluffy and grey where before they were red and obviously his normal pointed hackle feathers. He seems completely fine otherwise and so are all of the hens. Just curious if this is something to worry about or what caused it. He is almost 2 years old. I'll add a pic of him today and an older one of how he normally looks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Molts occur at certain ages, and can occur any time of the year. Extreme stress can cause some chickens to suddenly go into a molt.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Is this from his last molt? I'm watching this thread to see what others have to say. I had something similar happened with my French Black Copper Marans hen, except it was all her feathers and not just her hackles.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would guess that he is molting. Is he losing any of his tail feathers. What is his age? If he is around 18 months he could be molting, and they molt every year after that. The hens also could be picking out his feathers while he is on the roost or standing around.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Wow is he having a really bad hair day!

 

[Serenity06]

Wow is he having a really bad hair day!

My first thought exactly haha!

 

[Serenity06]

Have you checked for mites, or lice?

His feathers have most defiantly been "frizzed", which in my experience comes from #1. The bird not grooming him/herself. #2. Their irritated from bugs on the skin, so they try to get them off. #3. The hen's are picking on all his feathers.
But, like some of the others said, he could just just be entering a hard molt.

I have not! But I did think about that and decide that wasn't very likely because the hens all look fine and the fact he doesn't look like pictures of other chickens I've seen on here with mites or lice. I will check though if that's a possible cause

 

[Yard Farmer]

I have not! But I did think about that and decide that wasn't very likely because the hens all look fine and the fact he doesn't look like pictures of other chickens I've seen on here with mites or lice. I will check though if that's a possible cause

Alright, good luck!
Let us know if you find anything.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Sorry for the late response I didn't have any sign of what was going on until today when I saw it. While they were free ranging I saw a hen pull out two of his feathers and eat them. Is that normal for feather picking?? I always assumed feather picking meant they just pull them out because of boredom, curiosity, or bullying. I didn't know they would literally EAT them?? Also he still looks the same, he's definitely not growing them back but he doesn't look worse. There's no skin showing or anything. What can be done about it? I only saw with my own eyes one hen doing it but I'm not there frequently enough to watch them and see if it's multiple or even all of them.

This is what they like to do. How much protein are they getting? Sometimes feather plucking is due to not enough protein. Usually, we you see one plucking, they're typically all plucking. Some are just more obvious than others.

For my flock to stop the habit, I did Pinless Peepers. If you don’t know how to put them on, here's an article: How To Apply Pinless Peepers

 

[Serenity06]

I would guess that he is molting. Is he losing any of his tail feathers. What is his age? If he is around 18 months he could be molting, and they molt every year after that. The hens also could be picking out his feathers while he is on the roost or standing around.

He is 22 months so maybe? I think there are some other spots where his down feathers appear to be showing through I just assumed it wasn't a molt since it's April. I will keep an eye on him though and see if it looks like it could be the hens.