Rooster has very small feathers

[healthnut]

My 2 1/2 year old rooster used to look beautiful, now for the past year his feathers are extremely fine and he has lost his hackle feathers. It's like he just has his underfeathers, but not the outer ones.

 

[nuthatched]

Yikes, have you checked him for mites?

 

[healthnut]

Yikes, have you checked him for mites?

Didn't see any and no scratching or itching

 

[healthnut]

Yikes, have you checked him for mites?

 

[nuthatched]

Didn't see any and no scratching or itching

You won't see depluming mites, they're microscopic. They burrow into feather shafts. I'm not sure how to verify if it is them.