Why has my Araucana rooster all but lost his beard and muffs?

[Henrik Petersson]

A very restricted molt? He's gone from looking like the viking warrior he is to appearing as a baby's bum.

The hens adore him, so I'm pretty sure he's not being picked on.

 

[MillersFarm]

It could be mites? Or maybe there isn't enough roost space in your coop and your girls could be pecking at his beard during the night?

 

[Henrik Petersson]

How do I tell if it's mites?

The flock only take up about 2/3 of our total roost space, so I don't think it's that.

 

[lazy gardener]

It's not at all uncommon for birds to "preen" the muffs and beards of their roost mates. Most often, this happens in the winter. I've seen EE standing patiently while a flock mate preens their beard/muff. "Hey, you! Chubby cheeks! You've got that stuff stuck on your face. Come over here, and let me clean that off for you!!!" I do not see this as being of the same caliber as the feather picking that goes on in a flock of birds that are in a crowded environment or on a low protein diet. It's confined specifically to the beard and muffs.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

It's not at all uncommon for birds to "preen" the muffs and beards of their roost mates. Most often, this happens in the winter. I've seen EE standing patiently while a flock mate preens their beard/muff. "Hey, you! Chubby cheeks! You've got that stuff stuck on your face. Come over here, and let me clean that off for you!!!" I do not see this as being of the same caliber as the feather picking that goes on in a flock of birds that are in a crowded environment or on a low protein diet. It's confined specifically to the beard and muffs.

You know, the hens constantly peck on the rooster's face. Which is something I have never seen before in my decade or so of chicken keeping.

Up until now I've found it endearing; I'd always assumed they were just preening him. They certainly seem to be very respectful of him overall (for example, the first hen who laid eyes on him walked right up to him and squatted next to him). Besides, he always stands still and let them pick, he never reacts as if it hurts him.

That being said, the beard seems to have disappeared in very short time just now, having been full-size until two weeks ago. But maybe we just didn't note the gradual disappearance...

 

[Mrs. K]

That is exactly what I have seen, my hens just pulled it off him, and he just stood there, like it was his due. They just loved them, and soon he looked just like yours... It was early spring, and I saw it happen in the day time. I noticed the muff was gone and then later I caught a hen pulling those feathers off, never bothered any other feathers on him.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

That is exactly what I have seen, my hens just pulled it off him, and he just stood there, like it was his due. They just loved them, and soon he looked just like yours... It was early spring, and I saw it happen in the day time. I noticed the muff was gone and then later I caught a hen pulling those feathers off, never bothered any other feathers on him.

What to do about this? Leave it be?

A guy on Facebook proposed killing the hen(s) who did it, but it seems rather an extreme measure if the feather eating is limited to the beard and muffs, and the skin never breaks.

 

[Mrs. K]

I always solve for the peace of my flock. The feather pulling of those feathers did not seem to bother either the rooster or the hens. So I just let it be. He never got sore, or bloody, just beardless. Those hens did not feather pick each other, or him anywhere else.

Mrs K

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

A very restricted molt? He's gone from looking like the viking warrior he is to appearing as a baby's bum.

The hens adore him, so I'm pretty sure he's not being picked on.

View attachment 1248097

American Rumpless Araucanas don’t have muffs or beards they have tufts. I think you have a rumpless Easter Egger rooster.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have one Ameraucana girl. She is low in the pecking order, but my chickens have never been particularly mean to each other. Never blood, injury, missing feathers, never had to separate them. I was feeding a wet fermented feed, had recently switched feeds, and noticed that this one had a tendency to stick to things more, especially in the beard/around the face of my Ameraucana. Within a few days all the sudden she had no beard/muffs left and I could see the raw skin of her neck. The other girls, picking at the feed, had plucked out her beard! I feared now that there was red skin exposed they'd pick on her more, but they didn't. I switched to dry feed for now and after a few months her feathers have grown back. She definitely is a bit more feisty than the other girls now, but I can't blame her. I don't think the other girls were being mean per se, but they were definitely responsible for the disappearance of her beard/muffs.