What is this?

[Beeks83]

I’m new to chickens and have just gone through the first moult with my 3 hens.

All fine, all looking great. Then recently I’ve noticed that one has lost feathers from the top of her head.

It looks the same as when the other hen was being picked on and they pecked her feathers out, but this hen is top of the pecking order.

We’ve had a cold snap recently and I’m worried about her. Behaviour is normal, just getting a bald head! Any ideas?

 

[Mary's Backyard Chickens]

Maybe you didn't notice it, but she may be still molting and losing patches of feathers on her head. Really nothing to worry about.

 

[HannahL]

She is most likely just still molting. Most likely nothing to worry about. If you see her feather picking or being pecked at by the other hens that you could interfere but my best guess is that she is simply still molting.

 

[staceyj]

Have you noticed her scratching at her ears? They may be dirty.
I'd look her over carefully for evidence of lice or mites.

Once you rule that or squabbling for space on the roost at night, you can assume it's still molting although I'm not seeing emergence of pin feathers in any of your pictures.

 

[azygous]

Not all chickens molt in the same order of body areas, nor do they all molt at the same rate of speed. Your girl appears to be finishing up molting on her head feathers last instead of first, as most chickens do.

The fresh pin feathers is the give-away. You wouldn't see such a uniform eruption of new feather growth if she was getting feather-picked.

 

[Beeks83]

Thanks so much! She hasn’t been scratching, so I’m pretty sure she’s still moulting.

Thanks for the help