Red Featherless Bottom

[MontanaFlock]

My hen's bottom (not near her vent) is red and the skin is slightly swollen. She is not laying and she's been separated from the flock for 3 days. She's not eating and depressed.

The only thing that helps is an Epsom salt bath. The redness temporarily goes away, then comes back in a few hours or less. I've also given her internal oregano and garlic and I dusted her with diatomaceous earth. Nothing is helping.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MontanaFlock]

Here is a picture.

 

[MontanaFlock]

She does not have water belly..

 

[HeritageFan]

@Eggcessive

The pic hasn’t shown up yet
Have you checked her closely for mites/ lice?
Have you felt her belly to see if she might be egg bound?

Have you tried to feed her cooked egg yolk/ other options besides her normal feed to see if she will eat
-something-?

How does her crop feel?
Any funny odors or lesions in her beak?

How is her poo?

Hopefully the pic will show up soon

 

[nuthatched]

She could be getting picked or has mites. Press attach files to upload pictures.
How big is the coop and what's the diet?
Completely clean out the coop and use a permethrine based powder or spray everywhere then get all new bedding and litter.
DE is a respiratory irritant for you and your birds and will not do anything for mites and can make drying issues worse.
Garlic can be toxic to chickens so do not give her that.

 

[Lillith37]

If she’s lost feathers in the area, the skin will naturally turn redder as it is exposed to the air. But then of course why has she lost feathers? I agree with previous posters, could be mites or feather picking.

Ascites will cause feather loss and redness of the skin. I know you said she doesn’t have ascites. But is her breathing laboured? Is her comb the regular colour? A good way to monitor the underbelly of a bird is to weigh them regularly and check their body condition (muscles either side of the keel bone) and use that info to determine what’s “normal” for a particular hen. Numbers on a scale don’t mean anything if she’s losing condition and gaining fluid, so you need to check. Squishy abdomen is okay, taut fluid filled or hard is not.

If you’re concerned she may be egg-bound you can give a calcium supplement. If she’s standing up tall like a penguin she is probably egg-bound.

 

[MontanaFlock]

I'll try to attach the picture again here.

Im giving her Epsom salt baths and her poop is a bit watery with some normal solids. I dont see any mites. I've dusted her with diatomaceous earth multiple times. Her breathing is not labored, she is very large tho, her breed is Jersey Giant.
She has been on Monostat for sour crop for the last few days and that is resolving, but the redness on her bottom was there first.
She is not standing like a penguin. She also started molting. She ate a little bit of hard boiled yoke today- that's the first food she's eaten in at least 3 days that I've had her inside.
I gave her garlic today and I thought that was what might have helped her.. I have seen other chicken owners giving garlic water. I gave her a garlic pill and no adverse reaction.

 

[nuthatched]

I'll try to attach the picture again here. View attachment 3657666
Im giving her Epsom salt baths and her poop is a bit watery with some normal solids. I dont see any mites. I've dusted her with diatomaceous earth multiple times. Her breathing is not labored, she is very large tho, her breed is Jersey Giant.
She has been on Monostat for sour crop for the last few days and that is resolving, but the redness on her bottom was there first.
She is not standing like a penguin. She also started molting. She ate a little bit of hard boiled yoke today- that's the first food she's eaten in at least 3 days that I've had her inside.
I gave her garlic today and I thought that was what might have helped her.. I have seen other chicken owners giving garlic water. I gave her a garlic pill and no adverse reaction.

Stop the baths, they won't help her and can stress her out.
DE damages over a period of time, a few time won't hurt but they won't help or kill bugs.
Same with garlic, though it takes much, much less garlic to hurt a bird, it will not help her.
What is her feed? How big of coop for how many birds?

 

[Lillith37]

Two of my hens get that red chafed skin along their keel bone sometimes. It's from nesting/roosting. You could try using a makeup pad and gently wiping a small amount of castor oil to help soothe the skin, perhaps before roosting, so she doesn't mucky it up with dustbaths etc.

Hopefully when she finishes moulting she will have nice new feathers over the area and the skin will be more protected.

 

[MontanaFlock]

I have 4 hens including this hen and 4 babies three months old. I give them soaked grain (barley and wheat) with yogurt and an organic mash from Montana Eden Feeds Co. I also give them sunflower seeds.
I have a large amish built coop, a 12x12 ' run and they free range on 1 acre of grass.