well, this is not really an "emergency", but i figured this was the place to post this.
i've noticed several of my hens are developing big bald spots on thier butts, below the "vent" area.
i've done a little searching here and have read it could be mites..OR i could have some hens that are pulling out the feathers of the others... "butt biters" i guess you could call them.
the bald areas aren't red or swollen, just bald. out of my 25 hens, i'm guessing maybe 8 or 10 of them have these bald spots.
i recently got rid of one of my 2 roosters, so i'm wondering if maybe that has thrown the pecking order into chaos and the hens are re-adjusting the order. i had never heard of "butt feather pulling" before, but i'm suspicious because the other morning when i was cleaning the poop boards i heard some loud squaking from the other room. i went in there and the girls were all in a tizzy, and there was a little pile of feathers on the ground near one of the feeders. do you think that is what's going on? i would think that if they are getting these bald spots due to mites or something like that, the area would be red and swollen, but that isn't the case. just nice pink bald chicken skin. is the butt feather pulling common? if so, why do they do it?
i must say.... chickens are wierd.
i've noticed several of my hens are developing big bald spots on thier butts, below the "vent" area.
i've done a little searching here and have read it could be mites..OR i could have some hens that are pulling out the feathers of the others... "butt biters" i guess you could call them.
the bald areas aren't red or swollen, just bald. out of my 25 hens, i'm guessing maybe 8 or 10 of them have these bald spots.
i recently got rid of one of my 2 roosters, so i'm wondering if maybe that has thrown the pecking order into chaos and the hens are re-adjusting the order. i had never heard of "butt feather pulling" before, but i'm suspicious because the other morning when i was cleaning the poop boards i heard some loud squaking from the other room. i went in there and the girls were all in a tizzy, and there was a little pile of feathers on the ground near one of the feeders. do you think that is what's going on? i would think that if they are getting these bald spots due to mites or something like that, the area would be red and swollen, but that isn't the case. just nice pink bald chicken skin. is the butt feather pulling common? if so, why do they do it?
i must say.... chickens are wierd.
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