Hen lost feathers on her bum overnight??

[Nicoliosis5]

Hi all.

I just noticed last night that one of our girls is missing all the feathers on her bum. (Pics at bottom) Its not that it's patchy, or thin, they're completely gone. The skin doesn't look raw or irritated though. None of the other (5) have this problem, though I do have one with sparse feathers behind her head.

They are fed an organic layer feed, supplemented with wheatgrass or barley fodder. They also get a handful of dried meal worms every day and bits of kitchen vegetable scraps occasionally. Always have access to fresh water.

Their coop is 5x5 and their run is 12x5. I would like to say that they are allowed to free range but we live in the woods and lost a girl to a bobcat last year in broad daylight while I was 20 feet away. So they are only allowed to free range when I am home and can hang out with them, which is only once or twice a week

We've been consistently getting 5 or 6 eggs a day even throughout the winter and I have seen her in the box so I don't think that she is having any issues laying.

I know that this she has been pecked before (A couple weeks ago she was bleeding from her comb quite a bit and I caught one of the others trying to peck it) so my initial thought was that one or some of the others are bullying her.

If anyone has any thoughts or advice I would greatly appreciate it.


Chicken butt pics incoming!:

 

[chickens really]

It's caused from picking.....lather up her butt in Vaseline and the others will leave her alone....

Picking has many causes......

Too hot
Too crowded
Short of fresh air
Lack of protein in the diet or the coop is to brightly lit....Curtains on the nest boxes also help.....


Cheers!

 

[azygous]

You may have a feather picker. I advise painting Blue-kote on the exposed skin everyday until after new feathers grow out and cover the bare skin. It will neutralize the color of the bald area, discouraging attention, especially after new feathers begin to emerge, which are irresistable to most all chickens.

You may also have lice. I noticed the first outbreak in my own flock just this week. The weather has been right for it. Look very closely at your entire fleet of butts for very tiny red specks - that move. They can cause feather loss. If one chicken has lice, more will, too. I dipped 23 chickens this week in Elector PSP, a biological parasite treatment.

If you take some time some afternoon to sit and observe your flock, you may be able to identify the picker. Pinless peepers are a good device to try on the culprit and often curtails the problem.

 

[chickens really]

Just a tip.....Blu-kite is to cover any bloody or red areas.....Vaseline on the other hand, is not something Chickens enjoy so they leave the area alone......


Cheers!

 

[Nicoliosis5]

Update: I got home from work this evening to find that now 3 of the 6 girls have bare butts. What does everyone think of my new discovery? I did just put some vaseline on the butts in question.