[DippyEgg]

I've been keeping chickens for eight years and not seen this before: I bought a new hen yesterday. I've been wanting some white eggs for a while and not been able to source any such hens. So yesterday I drove past a place that sells them. They said they're Leghorns, but I thnk they're hybrids. Anyway, they look like Leghorns. They had three. Two of them had a large bare patch on their back where the skin looked quite dry and thick. It was just before the tail feathers (but on their back, not near the vent). The sellers said they'd probably been pecked. The third one looked OK so I bought her to go with a lonely Maran who's just lost her friend.

Anyway, the one I bought has got lots of black specks in the same place as the others were bare. It could be bits of bark as they were on bark when I bought them. The specks aren't all the same size. Could it be lice or a different parasite? Or bits of bark?

Any opinons very welcome. She's still in  quarantine.

[harmony]

I would treat her for parasites anyway whilst she is in isolation.

[waddy]

A few of mine are bald in the same place where the cockerels have been treading. They are having a boy free holiday now while they grow new feathers. The new feathers coming through the skin can start looking like black specks stuck to the bird. You may find given another week or so you can see feather stalks with the fluffy bit then coming out from the tip. You still need to quarantine your new stock however and keep a look out for parasites.


 
H

[Marches Farmer]

I would treat her for parasites anyway whilst she is in isolation.

.... and worm her.

[DippyEgg]

Will do, thank you.  Will apply diatom and worm her. They don't keep a cockerel so it can't be that.

[Terry T]

One of our hens "treads" the others and causes feather loss on the backs of a couple. Just bought some saddles for them. I suspected parasites for a while until I realised Belle was a little rough with the other girls!