Missing feathers on the bum - also skin is reddish

[Wissa38]

Hi,

I have three buffs and two wyandottes. About two weeks ago we noticed that one of the wyandottes had a bare bum and the skin around that area was quite red. She's acting normally besides that, no other injuries, eating and drinking and, as far as we can tell, laying eggs. We've had extreme cold up here in Northern Vermont and she been hanging out in the hen house rather than free ranging with the other birds, but that was not unusually even before this.

Today we noticed one of the buffs also has feathers missing on her hind end and her skin is slightly reddish. She too is acting normally, eating and drinking, wandering about and laying eggs.

They look for all the world like they're molting, but I can't imagine that would happen in January. Would it?

There's no blood and we haven't seen any pecking.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

We make sure they have clean food and water at all times, and as a precaution have added some vitamins to the water. I've made sure that the wyndotte has gotten some warm oatmeal and fish scraps from the house. She gobbles them up.


Thanks

Kristen

 

[wlbaker3]

My hens are molting as we speak.

 

[Wissa38]

Where are you located? Are you in a cold weather climate going?

I got to say that Vermont is going through one of the worst cold spells we've had in a long while. The temps the past two weeks rarely get out of the single digits.