Bald Necks

[chickensaregreat]

I was just wondering whether anyone had any ideas...

I have had birds who have had a bald neck since the summer. When I left for uni a couple of weeks ago I thought their feathers were growing back but having just seen my mum this weekend she says that they still haven't grown back. I'm slightly concerned because they haven't grown back and because we are starting (rather depressingly!) to go towards winter...
Does anyone have any ideas as to why they haven't grown back. I had been having a battle with red mite in the house but before I left I creosoted and bleached the house and so I am hoping that got rid of them..
Many thanks

 

[VALBURNHAM]

any chance you have a feather pecker in there. I had three hens who were constantly bald on the head and neck through one of my other hens plucking them, they actually used to sit there and let her do it. I solved the problem with anti pecking spray applied on a regular basis. It took a while but they are now all fully feathered again

 

[chrismahon]

We've had this problem and its been difficult to sort out. It's possibly turkey and chicken head and neck lice. They are solitary lice and slow spreading. First clue was the hens were pecking each others necks and letting it be done. No individual bird was pecking, it was a mutual preening type arrangement. We couldn't see anything but the chickens obviously could. Didn't get ant response with louse powder. Didn't respond to Pyrethium spray either. Got Frontline spray from the vet (prescription only form but dosage controllable unlike spot-on) and administered eventually as high as 4 sprays per Kg body weight which, is 2/3 rds the minimum cat dose. Some had responded at 2 sprays per Kg. You have to wait 28 days before re-dosing so we should have started with 4, but I was worried about overdosing them as a friend had two hens die when the vet gave them spot-on and they overdosed. It isn't licenced for chickens so there is an element of risk in its use.