Jewels Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Hi, I am putting this post on for help for my friend who got her chickens the same time as I got mine (3 yrs ago). Her two chickens have had bald necks for a few months now, she said she has not seen them pulling out their own or each others feathers and there is no sign of mites (she has an eglu). She brought some Daitomaceous Earth but and has been using it for about a month but it has made no difference. One of her girls is still laying the other has stopped. She wants to get a couple more hens but is naturally worried that they will be affected to, what can anyone suggest? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 they could be moulting. in my experience, such as it is, moulting often starts around the head/neck. the next thing you know is that everytime you open the nestbox/coop door, there is a mountain of feathers inside, and when they come out and have a good shake, there is another mountain! while moulting they generally dont lay. you can help them through it by boosting the protein content of their diet (eg cat food or drained tuna). hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 Sounds like a mini moult to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewels Posted August 15, 2010 Author Share Posted August 15, 2010 Thank you for your replies. I did suggest to her they maybe moulting, but mine have never really moulted yet so I don't know what it looks like. They are only balding on their necks and no where else, so could this still be a mini moult? I can see some quill things with feathers coming on their necks but the process is very, very slow. Could she still introduce some new hens? Or is it best to wait? thank you. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
