bald bottoms and swollen tummys!

[Bogtown Chick]

The Hutch appears to work perfect in there Shell. Nice going. Happy little chicks....

Ahhh I wish that spray would have deterred Bombie a bit more. Hmmm. I think you are doing right to keep her separate for a while and see if she can forget about this over time. She is not being harmed by being in that little coop and you are saving the other birds from more damage. Poor little bottom on Beauty. I think you will find the Neosporin will knock down that inflammation quite fast and almost in a matter of overnight...then it's just the healing and waiting on those new fluff feather quills which I'm sure will feel like an eternity...but hang in there...

I love the idea of you letting your chooks out for a bit to test their legs and explore. They will love you for that. You might already know this ...but in case you don't... May I suggest doing it in the evening an hour or however long you want to watch them out there... before their usual roosting time as they will know when it's time to go back to their house and make it easier to round them up if they even need that. The babies I wouldn't let out just yet as they need to learn that hutch is their new home for right now... (about a week I think is the recommendation for adjustment to a new space).

All looks well there in that beautiful London coop/run

 

[shell3]

thanks bogtown their butts both still look red! not sure if they are headed for infection or if i should do more? i have some flagyl in the first aid kit, wonder if i should dose them up with some? let me know what you guys think. on the upside i see quills popping through the skin! yay feathers are on the way!

 

[shell3]

ok one of the girls feathers seems to be growing back and the skin looks a normal pink underneath but the other hen is still bald and the skin looks still a bit red. i have sprayed her with the antiseptic and soothing spray but im wondering if 'bombie' is still picking?! i havnt seen her do it anymore, ive been giving a scoop of mealworms to all the chooks every morning and letting them out to free range whenever im around to keep watch, i just cant let them out when im not, too many busy roads, neighbours dogs and foxes ect! but the little times they have free in the garden seems to have stopped her picking , at least for the most part, i know she def dosnt do it when they are out. i have put her back in with the other two now and i must observe her for a time when shes in the run with the others to see for sure she has stopped. also i find keeping the hanging vegetable cage full helps a lot.

 

[shell3]

Just thought I'd do a quick update for reference for others who might stumble across this post at a later date and wonder how it turned out.
After deciding to let
The girls free range as much as possible (only when I'm home to keep an eye on them) and adding a handful of mealworms a day to their diet things have now returned to normal , 'bombie' seems to have stopped her picking and the other girls are now getting fluffier butts by the day the skin remained very red for a while and a bit flakey , I was applying savlon and neosporin creams daily and now the skin is returning to a nice pink colour.
I'm happy and relieved and have finally been able to introduce the new chicks to the flock!

 

[Haunted55]

Shell3 I'm very happy to hear this! I think it can be a faze some of them go through and with a little guidance they can learn not to do it again. Just like the terrible two's in kids.

 

[shell3]

Haunted, It does seem so, I forgot to say I did keep her penned off from the flock for two weeks too, she could see the others but not reach them, I think that helped break the habit and gave extra protein a chance to make the difference. And I'm constantly searching for things to keep them entertained! Lol

 

[Haunted55]

Haunted, It does seem so, I forgot to say I did keep her penned off from the flock for two weeks too, she could see the others but not reach them, I think that helped break the habit and gave extra protein a chance to make the difference. And I'm constantly searching for things to keep them entertained! Lol

throw in a couple of whole apples. It should keep them busy for a while at least, lol.

 

[shell3]

Haunted, can I really give them whole apples?! That would be great! Come October when they are in the run a lot, my apple tree may come in super handy!

 

[Haunted55]

Haunted, can I really give them whole apples?! That would be great! Come October when they are in the run a lot, my apple tree may come in super handy!

Of course! They will have a ball with them and stay out of trouble that way as well. The first time you throw one to them you may have to make a nick in the skin. I usually just take my thumb nail and kinda dig a small area out for them just so the skin is open and they can smell and taste. Then it's let the games begin!

 

[Tilly1]

I read a few days ago re red bottoms and suggestions re diet...not too much human food as can be acidic.... so we are paying attention to that, and also do not think it is mites though have also sprayed and given coop an extra clean and put aloe vera on the hens as a barrier. What I wondered is if that person had fir trees in her yard and if the hens had made their dust baths under them. Ours love to lie in their dust baths under our trees. Why I'm wondering this is that when I was making a veg garden and digging Canada weed (we live beside a reservoir) and a lot of fir needles that had also been swept down to the overflow in a storm, the nature reserve warden advised me not to use too much fir as it would make the ground acid. I wondered if the ground where the hens are lying is acid soil as their bottoms look like serious nappy burn and they are not lying in their pooh and have an acre to wander around in(9 hens, 3 dogs and 3 cats all living in relative harmony) and we rarely see them pecking. I am going to get some river sand today to put in their dust holes....for kids sand pits, you can't use builders sand as it can have lime in it, which burns.
I'd be interested to hear and thought your comment on a dust bath working added to my thinking.