4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[cluckynikki]

Hello everyone,

 

Much to my horror I have noticed one of my two hens looking rather scrawny round the neck. When my warren Coffee stretches her neck out you can see that she is missing feathers at the top of it, more or less all the way round, just a bit below her head.

 

I was hoping I would escape the pecking horrors I read about on the forum and I am trying hard not to blame Tilly without any evidence. I have checked the eglu each morning but there has only been one feather inside, so I don't think pecking is going on overnight.

 

The thing is, the two of them are virtually inseperable and walk around together side by side, like they are stuck with glue. They even go in with each other to lay and i have never witnessed any nastiness. They get on so well I haven't even been able to work out which is top chook.

 

Could this be the start of a moult? Tilly is still looking very fine feathered. They are both around 9 months old. I have noticed quite a number of Coffee's feathers lying on the ground in the area in which they free-range all day, plus a couple of Tilly's.

 

I have started putting the tick/flea/louse powder in their food again, just incase it is fleas etc but I would have thought Tilly would be suffering too if it was.

 

Thanks in advance as I know everyone on this forum is such a friendly bunch with good advice.

[katieD]

sounds like a moult to me... my girls all look the same- ive just started giving them poultry tonic to speed up the regrowth.

 

others might think different?

[Chickvic]

I think it's a moult too, especially as it usually starts around the neck. I'm amazed at the amount of feathers I've got in my garden at the minute

[alet_chicken]

Sounds like a moult to me too, especially if it is evenly distributed around the neck (rather than a bald patch, if you know what I mean).

 

Just to be sure, you should start seeing feathers regrowing soon (they first come out as little spikes, which grow into tubes, and the feathers come out of the end).

[debbietabby]

Yip Mine are moulting too. One has a bald patch at the bottom of her neck. Ihope it grows back soon!

[Valkyrie]

Sioux started at the wings and bum end - she still has neck feathers to go yet, although the remaining bloomers look like fluffy dreadlocks. Apache started with her lower neck making her look very busty, and now she has a partially nude neck, tail, bum, wings, poor thing - she looked a bit like a kiwi yesterday - very pitiful look she gave me when I laughed at her.

[Egluntyne]

I'd say it was a moult too. Round the neck is typically where a mini moult starts.

[cluckynikki]

Thank you everyone, you have put my mind at rest. Tins of tuna at the ready then I think! I'm sure I will have plenty of questions later as things progress.

[Marvelous Margot]

Hi Your description sounds just like one of mine - only its been like that for over a month now - we dont have mites and she is checked regularly. How long does a moult take?

I guess if its a mini moult the spikes could be the new feathers growing back and we just missed the rest...mmm.

[cluckingmad]

Mine too Mollie our massive exbatt is currently thread bare along her neck, think they're all in moult now as the poo trays look like someones been in the cube and plucked them in their sleep

[peepie]

I thought you were supposed to rub the powder on the chickens not put it in their food??? Unless you've got different stuff to me.

 

xx

[TheChookKeeper]

Every time I get home from work when they're in moult (which 2 of them have just started in teh last few days), I panic as I see the collection of feathers in the garden... it's worse when the ducks moult too... they tend to scatter the feathers over a large area, and they don't blow away as easily as chooks feathers do... I always think a fox has got them!

 

I don't personally use anything when they moult - I let them get on with it by themselves... they tend to get a bit of "poultry spice" when I remember I own some every now and again though... maybe that counts?!?