Feather loss/red around the vent, pics posted

[NanaKat]

I'm bumping this topic too. Seven of my girls look like the photos. The other 15 are fine.

I've heard that we can dip our chickens in a sevin solution and allow them to dry in the sun.
Does anyone do this and if so...what concentration of sevin to water? Do you use the 10% Sevin or the 5% Sevin?

I've removed the compost layer in the floor of the hen house. Hosed down the tin walls with a vinegar spray and dusted the clay floor with sevin.
I've sterilized the metal 10 room nest box with hot bleach water and dried it in the sun. Then when it was re-hung, mixed sevin and wood shavings in each box under a layer of clean hay.

The water containers and oyster shell dispenser sit on cinder blocks. We use a hanging pellet feeder hung back high from the ceiling. It is filled with layer pellets.
My girls have been treated with probiotics, pine tar, and sevin dust.

Also, I use heat lamps hung over the roost to keep my girls warm in the winter. Could heat lamps cause the hens to loose feathers?

 

[kagedgoddess]

Its crazy so many of us had this problem but no answers. I can say i also used a light this winter but i had the feather loss before then. It didnt get worse untill now and i havent had the lighton since jan. I did see my hen who still has all her feathers pick and the one who is worst off BUT the problem started in the old coop so im not 100% that shes the cause. See in this coop there are two roost bars parrell to each other. In the old coop thrre was only one. Feathered hen was sitting behind naked hen and picking. Its possible that she is the cause and then the roos are excaserbating the issue. The redness is what concerned me but the near to naked one and a slw are the only ones like that. So anyways. I sat out there and examimed them really wel and brainstormed cuz im frustrated no one had an answer. Ive dusted to death. I ve cleaned ive blukoted and pine tared nothing. My ss looked aweful when i posted but after her examine i think she is just molting which is suposed to happen in the fall but like i said their feed got messed up last month. She didnt molt last fall and she is 1yr this month. So i guess maybe mine is just a combo of factors. I will keep a good eye on them and post an update next week cuz i just put in 6 new hens, the rooster issue should get better at least.

 

[Miss Lydia]

you might want to give them some extra protein also, tuna in water, salmon ireally don't even rinse mine because I only give it to them once a week, also scramled or hard boiled egg and yogurt are all good sources of protein.. feathers are protein and maybe they are needing extra and are trying to get it in the feathers, and please post back and let us know how they are doing..

 

[peanutgallery]

Are we having a mass feather loss this spring? Noticed the other day that my RIR mix hens look the same way. The Whites are okay and not having the same condition.

They are on pellet food, offer oyster shell in a seperate feeder, give them three handsful of greens (collard, romaine or whatever is cheaper at the time I shop) every other day, or kitchen scraps (bananas, carrot peelings, cucumbers etc) about twice a week along with a handful of scratch when I go to gather their eggs each day. They were put on a higher protein blend this winter (got a really cold winter this year) from 16% to 22%. The water, set on cinder block, is cleaned and changed everyday and has been on a timed heater during the cold winter nights so it won't freeze. Everyone has been saying about protein, but our hens have had additional protein this winter. We use pine shaving in the coop, they do, alas, have a dirt floor run. Discussing ways to improve that once the rain stops. Sand sounds like a good idea.

Anyway, we do let them out of the run sometimes when we are out in that area working. Let them have their fun free ranging. We do have a roo BUT our roo is very protective of his girls. Actually a little too protective. Our coop is @5x8 for 7 hens. It is off the ground @ 2' and inside the run that has chicken wire dug 24" deep. The feeder is hanging.

I'm as puzzled as everyone else. Any other suggestions to look into? Appreciate all of the suggestions so far! Thanks y'all.

 

[believer01]

Since it's not just me (or rather my girls) I'm wondering if it could be something in the environment. We've had weird illness in our dogs/cats/horses for the past year, even though we take as good a care of them as we do our chickens (which is pretty darn good). It seemed to start 2 days after I saw chemtrails in the sky out here for the first time ~ may have had some before but not like that. Has anyone else noticed something unusual this past year?

 

[believer01]

Since it's not just me (or rather my girls) I'm wondering if it could be something in the environment. We've had weird illness in our dogs/cats/horses for the past year, even though we take as good a care of them as we do our chickens (which is pretty darn good). It seemed to start 2 days after I saw chemtrails in the sky out here for the first time ~ may have had some before but not like that. Has anyone else noticed something unusual this past year?

 

[believer01]

Since it's not just me (or rather my girls) I'm wondering if it could be something in the environment. We've had weird illness in our dogs/cats/horses for the past year, even though we take as good a care of them as we do our chickens (which is pretty darn good). It seemed to start 2 days after I saw chemtrails in the sky out here for the first time ~ may have had some before but not like that. Has anyone else noticed something unusual this past year?

 

[BCchick]

A few of mine are having this problem too.
Out of 22 hens, 2 have feather-less butts right now. No redness, just no feathers. My mom and I dusted them with garden and poultry dust in case it was mites. They shouldn't be molting, they were born April 2011 and I thought they didn't molt their first year. Eat layena and scraps.

Any other ideas from anybody?

 

[card5640]

I have had first year hens molt, I notice it more when there is a late start to winter. All of my March hens are molting.

 

[Rick1013]

Are their any authoritative answers to this "loss of feather" problem? I just posted a new thread about two of my hens that have this problem and then I came across this thread.

My eight hens (in a 6x8 coop with attached 6x12 run) eat layer pellets, veggie/bread scraps and a couple of handfuls of corn/scratch every other day or so. They are on straw and leaves for bedding. The girls are active and eat well. I have trapped several mice in the coop and will continue to trap them until I (hopefully) get rid of them.

See the recent photo of one of my hens with the feather-loss problem. This one has had it for several months and much is worse than the other.

I would appreciate any help on this. Can someone in the know put together a complete list of things to try to solve the problem?

Thanks!