Bad hen butt issues. Help.

[randomchick]

I picked up 5 hens yesterday as a favor for a friend leaving overseas for a half year. Just a few days prior he noticed they were picking at each others butts, and by the time I picked them up yesterday they were horrible. Here is the info, any help would be appreciated.
Breed: RIR I think

Eating habits: Great. Eating and drinking well.

Food:some sort of grain for the last few weeks before I got them, now on good pellets and treats and bugs. Access to grass.

Poop: normal brown, little white.

Attitude: docile, easy to handle and very alert.

Butt Condition: no fluff or feathers. Bloody scabs. Little bit swollen were there is scabbing but other than that fine. 2 Are badly scabbed, 2 are slightly, and one is minor.

I have checked for mites/lice, found nothing, and dusted their new are just to be safe.
Please help me help these bald butt girls.

 

[randomchick]

Can anyone help me treat these girls? And find out what is wrong with them so I know how long to keep them seperated from my other chickens?

 

[easttxchick]

Did they have a space issue where they were previously? Almost sounds like feather picking to me from being in too confined an area together or maybe a dietary deficiency.

If so, I use black grease on the bald area to prevent picking and would maybe feed some extra protein(dry cat food, tuna fish...).

 

[eggsrcool]

Badly affected ones- or the culprits of the feather picking- need to be removed to help with the recovery process. You may want to use purple spray- it helps healing and makes the pickers, less likely to try again- it tastes awful for the chickens.

 

[randomchick]

I have never heard of purple spray, and is black grease just general grease? we hardly have any poultry resources out here so unless it is a home remedy, It could take weeks to ship. There was no confinement issues, as they were free run. I can't say what they were eating for sure, some grain mix is what I was told. I have them on my layer mix that my birds do well on, and I am now sure it is feather picking.
How do I tell who the main pickers are? Is there an ointment I can use that is homemade?

 

[easttxchick]

I use Vicks Vapo rub in a pinch-seriously the pickers hate the taste of it.

The only way to know who the pickers are is to watch them for a bit and see who the guilty party is-believe me, they'll show you.

 

[randomchick]

vicks, now thats an idea. But won't the menthol burn on the open wounds?

 

[easttxchick]

Oh sorry, I need to read a little closer you have bleeding. Can you coat with Vaseline first(thin layer on skin) and then a thin layer of Vicks on top of Vaseline? No burning that way!

 

[randomchick]

I will have to try that. We can not figure out who the worst butt biters are as the chickens are almost identical. I am going to seperate them into rabbit breeding cages for the evening, and put them in the garage where it is warmer.

Can the biting behavior be fixed or is it not worth my effort and they become dog food?

 

[easttxchick]

I have always been able to stop feather picking. Just have to get those feathers growing back so the temptation to pick at those areas goes away.

Do try boosting their protein to help with the feather regrowth.

I have a precious little Black Sumatra roo that they picked every feather off of that babies back in a couple of hours(mean things). I took him out of the community area and separated him for a couple of days. Keeping black grease on his bare spots has kept the others from picking and his feathers are coming back beautifully.