What happened to their fluffy butts?

[Obiwan Henobi]

I joined this forum while searching for information about feather loss our hens are undergoing right now. They have been loosing feathers around their vents and rumps--one is missing feathers on her lower back next to her tail (see pix). We have inspected them for mites/lice but haven't seen any and I suspect it may be feather-picking (but I haven't ruled out pest infestation). They are just over a year old, so too young to begin their first adult molt. They seem healthy in all other aspects and egg production is normal. I would really appreciate any insight others might have on this.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks like feather picking.

How much space do you have?

You can apply NuStock cream to the bums to help keep urates from burning the skin. The bare backed Gal, observe and see who is mounting her. You can try a saddle on those that have loss on their backs.

 

[dawg53]

NuStock will not only heal, it will deter feather picking. It can be found in the Equine section in a feed store. Shake the tube well and wear disposable gloves when applying it.

 

[Obiwan Henobi]

Looks like feather picking.

How much space do you have?

You can apply NuStock cream to the bums to help keep urates from burning the skin. The bare backed Gal, observe and see who is mounting her. You can try a saddle on those that have loss on their backs.

Thanks--they have a fairly small, but adequate space for nest boxes and roosting at night. But during the day they have 28 sq ft for a run underneath their roosting/nest box space and an additional attached 7ft X 15ft run. We only have 5 hens, so they have plenty of space. To give them plenty of opportunities for pecking, I feed them crumble instead of pellets, I provide a feed block, use a nipple-type waterer, and provide a couple of raised-bed areas for growing forage in the run for them to peck and scratch. We only have hens so the bare back on one of the girls isn't due to an over enthusiastic rooster.

We have applied something called Hen Healer which is supposed to help with cuts and dry skin, but I will look for the product you've suggested. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm all but convinced the problem is feather-picking, not a lice/mite infestation since I've not seen any nits or bugs themselves.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Looks like feather picking, they need more protein in their diet ... What are you feeding, protein percentage? Crumbles/pellets don't matter. Spray BluKote to cover the redness, preventing the attraction. Bare back hen is being mounted, there's a hen saddle to help. with that from the Roo.

 

[Obiwan Henobi]

Looks like feather picking, they need more protein in their diet ... What are you feeding, protein percentage? Crumbles/pellets don't matter. Spray BluKote to cover the redness, preventing the attraction. Bare back hen is being mounted, there's a hen saddle to help. with that from the Roo.

Thanks--They get a 17% protein layer feed (and occasional mealworms for treats). We have no roosters so I don't know what the bare back would be other than feather-picking.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I'd give them more MW to up the protein ... I feed mine 20% plus MW, have had in the past a hen that was plucking/eating feathers off the others. Ended up feeding scrambled eggs and MW for awhile, she stopped. Maybe was a "phase" she was going thru, did notice they were going thru a soft molt.

 

[Obiwan Henobi]

NuStock will not only heal, it will deter feather picking. It can be found in the Equine section in a feed store. Shake the tube well and wear disposable gloves when applying it.

View attachment 3504599

I couldn't find this in stores so I ordered on-line through Tractor Supply. We administered the first application today. I'm also going to supplement their feed with dread mealworms every other day. Keeping fingers crossed that the girls will start getting some of their fluff back soon!