Feather Breakage on Neck

[jbalmer]

Hi does any one know what causes feather breakage on the neck area. 1 hen has it the other is ok. Her skin looks fine. I cant see any mite (although im not 100% what i should be looking for so any advice on this welcome) i have used mite powder in the coop and on the hen. There is no bullying, just the feathers broken on neck, all other feathers lovely. Any ideas?

[MaureenHall]

Is she poking her head through the chicken wire to get at grass or plants on the other side? She might be breaking them like that. Unfortunately most ex-batts arrive with no neck feathers because they've been damaged getting to the feed trough through the bars of their cages

[jbalmer]

Thats a distinct possibility i had never thought of that. I do have chicken wire protecting the hedge on one side of the garden and they do poke their heads through. I wonder if she has been doing it more often lately..

[jbalmer]

....can anyone give me pointers on exactly what i should be looking for when checking for mite type things?

[Flummery]

You will most likely find mites in the coop. They hide in cracks in the wood and at the ends of perches and come out at night to take blood from the chickens. They don't actually infest the chickens in the day. Run your fingers under perches or in the corners of the house and if they come up with a blood smear you have mites!

The other thing - which will stay on the chicken - is lice. They are easiest to see near the vent area - where the small fluffy feathers are. You will see lice and their eggs there. However, it does sound more like friction from nosey-parkering through the fencing!

[di]

A couple of ours have bald necks...I think the same as Mauren & Flummery that it could be poking their necks out through the wire,but have also been told it could be because their neck rubs on the nesting boxes....eitherwhilst laying eggs or roosting
Although it looks a little unsightly,the two of ours like it don't seem to suffer from it & are otherwise perfectly healthy.

[Pumpkin Becki]

The other thing it could be (if it is feathers on the throat rather than the back of the neck), is a compacted crop. If your chook has been eating anything particularly stringy (leaves from greens, long grass for example) she may be having trouble getting them through her crop, so she might be pecking herself to try to get things moving. If you feel her crop and it is lumpy (and probably hot - another reason for self plucking), try giving her a few drops of olive oil and massage the crop gently between thumb and forefinger to get things moving for her.

[jbalmer]

Having had another lok at the chook today, there seems to be feathers missing underneath her and the skin is red and warm. I am quite worried about this now. Any ideas? She is still laying ok and behaving normally and eating ok.

[Flummery]

Feathers missing underneath and warmth suggests broodiness. Do you think she could be starting to go broody?

[jbalmer]

I dont think so, she isnt going in the coop except to lay and to sleep at night. She hasnt been protective over the eggs. The skin looks quite red and sore. I cant see any mite. I did check the coop and ran my fingers around the roof crevices and under perches but didnt find anything. It seems there are broken neck feathers and the missing bald area underneath which is the red and sore bit

[RichmondHens]

Broken neck feathers suggests another hen is pulling them out - you may not necessarily see this behaviour as it may only happen in the hen house, usually first thing in the morning before you let them out. With the early mornings, the birds will wake at dawn, but if they are not let out until, say 7 am, then they have a couple of hours to annoy each other in the hen house. If the other hen's feathers are ok she may be being pecked. If she has missing feathers underneath and is not broody, could she be getting "burn" from the droppings on the slats? Does she like to sit on the floor or roost on a perch?

[jbalmer]

She sits on the floor, neither of them roost!. Although i clear droppings daily. I have had another good look and cant see any lice but something is definately not right!!

[RichmondHens]

If nothing obvious externally is irritating her, then she may be stressed about something or just lacking in nutrients, although should have all she needs if she's getting her layer's pellets daily. It's probably worth giving her a supplement anyway. Is she an ex-batt? I've never kept these (although a lot of people on this forum do), but from reading other people's threads they seem to pose a whole host of problems, which I've never encountered with my hens. Of course, she could be starting an early moult, although I wouldn't expect as early as May, unless a hen had been brooding. Sorry not to be more helpful.

[jbalmer]

She eats layers mash as she wont touch pellets but also has mixed corn and i put life guard in their water. They are both slight birds but have been wormed etc. They are ex-bat but i bought them at 6 months old so they hadnt been battery for long

[RichmondHens]

I would hold off the corn - they will always prefer it over mash or pellets, and she may be filling up on that and not having enough of the mash. A small handful of corn an hour before bedtime as a treat is enough, no more. Corn is very heating and can make the hens irritable. An alternative is to switch to straight wheat, but again only feed a small amount as a treat.