BirdWorld
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I recently noticed a bald spot on Kiki’s head, right below her comb. She isn’t molting, and doesn’t have any other bald spots, so why could this be?
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ParrotNuts
Rollerblading along the road
Maybe another bird was plucking her? Try to keep a close eye on them. It could’ve been a little one time fight or another chicken might be picking on her.
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
Hmmm maybe. I will keep a watch on them
. She is one of my smaller girls so it's possible. I'd be surprised though, they've gotten along well for about a year now.
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fashionfobie
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Since it is on the head I believe it is either from another bird pecking her or possibly from mites.
Over mounting usually wears a hen's back feathers, so my guess is related to hierarchy if it isn't mites. Changes in leadership occur however baldness from pecks is a sign of excess. even low low hens don't typically get baldness. I would reflect on your flock dynamic. Adding a new bird or birds to the flock can place everyone at a higher social stress level. Size of enclosure is also important. Chickens can cause serious harm and death to one another when they feel the social stress of high density living. This isn't to say there is something wrong your enclosure, it is just a possible cause. Chickens are attracted to red and if her head bleeds she can get battered really quickly so do watch her closely. Any sign of blood droplets and I would isolate her. She can still be in the flock but place her in a chicken safe carrier or use a divider. Hopefully it doesn't come to anything more than what it is, and she recovers.
Please let us know how she goes
P.s. I really love Plymouth rocks. Hopefully Kiki recovers quickly
Over mounting usually wears a hen's back feathers, so my guess is related to hierarchy if it isn't mites. Changes in leadership occur however baldness from pecks is a sign of excess. even low low hens don't typically get baldness. I would reflect on your flock dynamic. Adding a new bird or birds to the flock can place everyone at a higher social stress level. Size of enclosure is also important. Chickens can cause serious harm and death to one another when they feel the social stress of high density living. This isn't to say there is something wrong your enclosure, it is just a possible cause. Chickens are attracted to red and if her head bleeds she can get battered really quickly so do watch her closely. Any sign of blood droplets and I would isolate her. She can still be in the flock but place her in a chicken safe carrier or use a divider. Hopefully it doesn't come to anything more than what it is, and she recovers.
Please let us know how she goes
P.s. I really love Plymouth rocks. Hopefully Kiki recovers quickly
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
I think this is most likely. Probably one of my RIRs because I got them after getting the rest of the flock.... in around june or july. Can't remember exactly right now. They are sort of the "ringleaders". And since Kiki is pretty small it's quite possible for her to be getting picked on. Their run is pretty big, not sure of the exact dimensions but they are not squashed in there by any means. They have plenty of nest boxes too. So what can I do about this, should I separate them?
Ulis_Beast
Rollerblading along the road
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Not to scare you, but a chicken we had looked eerily similar, it was indeed mites.
The feathers got looked at by a vet under a microscope. We were given a powder for all the chickens. Their enclosure was, completely cleaned out and sprayed with some solution (the housing part).
If they are indeed pecking at her.. yes.
I do hope she gets better soon.
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
Oh no..........
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
Was your chicken’s spot on the head too? And would you clean the actual run or just coop and nest boxes? I reeeeeally hope there’s no mites......
Ulis_Beast
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It was.Was your chicken’s spot on the head too? And would you clean the actual run or just coop and nest boxes? I reeeeeally hope there’s no mites......
We cleaned the coop. Everything was thrown out and got sprayed with that solution. The run just got cleaned thoroughly.
Does she scratch more?
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Poultry Lice and Mites Identification and Treatment
Mites and poultry lice are a natural part of every backyard- they travel on birds, rodents and other animals, so when your chickens become infested, it doesn't mean you're not keeping a clean coop, it simply means your chickens enjoy the Great Outdoors! Being able to identify each type external...
the-chicken-chick.com
Ulis_Beast
Rollerblading along the road
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Great article.Poultry Lice and Mites Identification and Treatment
Mites and poultry lice are a natural part of every backyard- they travel on birds, rodents and other animals, so when your chickens become infested, it doesn't mean you're not keeping a clean coop, it simply means your chickens enjoy the Great Outdoors! Being able to identify each type external...
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
I haven't seen any scratchingIt was.
We cleaned the coop. Everything was thrown out and got sprayed with that solution. The run just got cleaned thoroughly.
Does she scratch more?
BirdWorld
Rollerblading along the road
Ummm is it just me or does this look like mites....... 
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I don't fe like I can give a conclusive diagnosis from these photos. Though you could treat for mites anyway. They are highly contagious and likely other hens will be carrying them also.
Getting mites isn't uncommon. Especially since chickens live outside and are exposed to a lot of stuff. We had mites once.
It is sorta like fleas on dogs. We regularly treat dogs and so rarely see fleas, but if you don't treat your dog fleas will show up eventually.
Now we treat our hens for parasite every few 3-4 months. We use ivermectin. It can be applied topically or orally. We have found that orally is easier for our flock. We separate each bird and feed them a grape that contains their dose.
The mites that are in the enclosure will also need to be addressed. Seperate the hens from the cleaning area, remove waterers and feeders. Clean well, use mite dust on the run or dirt areas and you can bleach and scrub the coop. Wash the water and feeders well before you replace them in the enclosure.
Mites can return so developing a treatment plan for parasites will help. Also read medication bottles some antiparasitic treatment inform you on the label how long you should wait before eating the eggs. Lots of poultry antiparasitic are crazy toxic... Which is why we prefer ivermectin a slightly safer drug. Keep in mind the laws that protect poultry welfare are next to none... So there are lots of products for poultry that are wildly dangerous.
Getting mites isn't uncommon. Especially since chickens live outside and are exposed to a lot of stuff. We had mites once.
It is sorta like fleas on dogs. We regularly treat dogs and so rarely see fleas, but if you don't treat your dog fleas will show up eventually.
Now we treat our hens for parasite every few 3-4 months. We use ivermectin. It can be applied topically or orally. We have found that orally is easier for our flock. We separate each bird and feed them a grape that contains their dose.
The mites that are in the enclosure will also need to be addressed. Seperate the hens from the cleaning area, remove waterers and feeders. Clean well, use mite dust on the run or dirt areas and you can bleach and scrub the coop. Wash the water and feeders well before you replace them in the enclosure.
Mites can return so developing a treatment plan for parasites will help. Also read medication bottles some antiparasitic treatment inform you on the label how long you should wait before eating the eggs. Lots of poultry antiparasitic are crazy toxic... Which is why we prefer ivermectin a slightly safer drug. Keep in mind the laws that protect poultry welfare are next to none... So there are lots of products for poultry that are wildly dangerous.
