bald bums?

[cheeriotwins]

3 of my 6 hens (1 plymouth rock and 2 ri reds) have lost much of their down feathers on the bottoms. could anyone tell me what this is...is it normal. they were hatched in june and have been laying very well for a couple of months now. thanks in advance.

 

[sandypaws]

usually pecking eachother....
are they in a big enough area??? are they getting plenty of other things to peck at??? getting proper nutrition???

 

[cluckychick]

Are they also losing feathers around their neck area? Have you check for mites or lice?

 

[gritsar]

Is it around the vent area?
If they don't have mites, it could be normal. Some chickens get a little bare in the vent area after they've been laying for awhile.

 

[cheeriotwins]

wow...thanks for all the replies.

about the pecking eachother...i've never seen them peck at eachother, but i'm not in there with them at night...no, there's no feather loss around anyones necks, just a round bald circle about 3 inches in circumfrence below the vent.

about their space, i do believe that it's big enough...

about mites and lice...what do they look like? how do i check for them?

thanks again!

 

[cheeriotwins]

oh, and about nutrition...i think they're getting the right stuff...i feed them green mountain organic layer pellets, grit and veggies & fruits from the kitchen.

i put logs and branches in their enclosure for them to peck at and sometimes some leaves too. everything's frozen, so there's no bugs and very little grass.

any other suggestions would be appreciated...i'm fairly new at this...

 

[Sagechick]

On this note,

Does anyone know why my rooster has the same problem? Only his bum is red and his legs are reddish. He is also down to only fuzzy down as most of his feathers have "molted?"

 

[gritsar]

You can use a flashlight and go in to the coop at night to check for mites crawling around near their vent.
If the area is also red, I would definitely suspect mites.

It's normal for a roo's legs to be reddish this time of year.

 

[sutphindanesnchickens]

ok if it is mites how do you treat them for it? how do you get rid of it? i have several RIR that have several bare bums or almost no tail feathers but was told they are molting? how do you know the difference?
CONFUSED AS USUAL IN OH

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Moulting usually causes feather loss all over, starting at the head and going towards the rear.
Here's some pictures of a hen in the middle of a MILD moult:

If you confirm mites, there are dusts and sprays for poultry that you can use.