Farm Animals » my chicken has lost feathers around the neck

daisydog

my chicken has lost feathers around the neck

hi, my chicken is about 2-3 years old and is kept in the garden with one other chicken and one duck. It has developed a bald patch around the back of the neck which does apear to be getting bigger but doesn't look sore. However the patch is red in colour. The other chicken and duck have not got any problems and this chicken seems fine in itself and is laying well. There are some short feather stems - i don't know if these are where the feather has been lost or where they are grwing back. Thankyou

11/9/07

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stuart stuart

Are you sure the duck or the other chicken are not doing things they didn't ought'a. Try physically seperating them but keep in visual/social contact. (pen or cage in coup or whatever).
Bathe sore area with solution of 1 tablespoonful of salt to a pint of water or dilute povidone iodine or chlorhexidine.
Damaged feather stems are hollow growing ones are like porcupine quills. Look for little red mites or any sore patches elsewhere. You may well find that your local small holder store has treatments for available for mites. The ivermectins applied topically are effective but off licence and would mean the eggs would be unsuitable for eating for a considerable length of time.
If the sore gets bigger after they are seperated then contact a local rural veterinary surgery with a view to getting her looked at.

12/9/07
nikita nikita

hi i had a chicken like this once, it also had a bald patch but lower down. But it was sore. So i took bernard the chicken to the vets, where they told me it had been attact by jillian the goose. since then i keep bernard apart from jillan as they dont get on.

19/9/07
tazle tazle

I have chickens, and 1 is loosing feathers in winter, so dose this apply to my post?

16/11/07
stuart stuart

Yes

16/11/07
lindie and rachael lindie and rachael

my chickens do that a few of them have feather missing on the neck i though it was old age

1/2/08
Farm Mama Farm Mama

my chickens ((wyandottes, ISA's and a few barnyard X's)) malt regularly, once a year generally,

25/11/11
stuart stuart

Chickens do moult as I suspect do all birds. Time intervals are somewhat variable.
Multivitamins and good quality food and regular worming/parasite control reduce help reduce the trauma of the whole process

25/11/11

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