Questions about questionable barn birds: How bad is this?

So I bought four red sex links from a barn via Craigslist. They turned out to be in kinda rowithin ape with lots a pink showing (no blood) on their butts and perhaps some frostbite on their comb and wattles too. I'll get some pics this week.

He said that it was in part the reason he was selling, they were constantly being picked on by the other flock/breed and were growing back, pointed out some dark pins which he said were new feathers.

So here's some questions and bear in mind I'm a newbie:

How bad is this? (see pics below)

Is this what molting can look like?

I'll add protein to their diet but what else can I do to help recovery?

It's cold (10f or so), should I Vaseline their butts? And comb/wattles?

How long does it take for their butt feathers to grow back?

I saw them picking at each others pink behinds, what can or should I do other than worry about it?

If I decide to cull, should I put the top hen doing the pecking into the pot, or the one that's already plucked?

/Scott

"rowithin ape" Should read "rough shape"

heres the backside of one of them

and this one is probably the best of the group

I'm assuming all 4 are hens. Did the previous owner have a rooster with them? It looks like rooster treading & molting. I've got some that look worse than that. I usually seperate them from the rooster to give the feathers a chance to grow back. Their feathers are growing back in pretty good & should look much better in 4 weeks or so. Do they have a place to go inside at night? That will help protect from frostbite. Vaseline on the comb & wattles will also help. If they start to pick at one another, blue kote will help. It's a spray that turns anything blue. The red color of the flesh is an attractant like anything that's red. Hence the red color for feeders & waterers. Long story short they should fully recover with a little help.

No roosters but a whole lotta birds (40+) that looked 2x the size of these.

This is night number two and I've kept them inside all but an hour. I'll leave the pop door open tomorrow morning.

none of the damage on their comb looks new, I was more asking about Vaseline on the pink bottoms, but I'll call around to find that blu kote stuff. Is this it?(http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Kote-4-ounce-Pump-Spray/dp/B000HHS6YS) it doesn't say anything about turning the area blue.

Glad to hear that there are signs of it getting better and things may be better in only a few weeks

Phew

That's the stuff. Wear gloves.





Welcome to the wonderful world of Chickens...

I would keep them quarantined from your other birds for a month if you can, give them extra vitamins and protein, worm them twice with valbazen (second dose about 10 days after the first dose). Watch them for sneezing and bloody stools and be prepared to treat them or cull them. Check them for lice and mites too.
I think they will have a much better life at your house than being in crowded quarters with too many hens. Give them access to grass and greens as soon as you can. Sunlight is healing too.
If you decide to worm them, toss the eggs. See my signature line for a link about worming. Lots of info there.

Thankfully there are no ther birds so they are the quarantine.

Their poop is nice, together, consistent, and looks healthy so no worm concerns, though they sure are hungry.

I gave them a good check for lice and the feathers looked clean but will continue to check.

I got an egg on the second day so that's a good sign too.

I guess that the image I have in my mind is that chickens are perpetually healthy. The stereotypical farm has only happy healthy animals who don't molt