Bare Chicken Butts

[DustyChick]

Hi! About 2 weeks ago I noticed 2 of my 4 girls had bare rumps. No blood or obvious signs of trauma. I cleaned out their nesting boxes, put in new substrate, cleaned the coop interior, sprayed an herbal mite be gone spray everywhere & sprinkled DE on the floor inside. We have sand in the run & coop. I also sprayed the bare spots with Blu-Kote. We went away for Christmas for a few days & came back to find more bare bums! We have a black Australorp, RIR, Silver Laced Wyandotte & a Buff Orpington. All about 9 months old. I've been getting 3-4 eggs a day, but this week it has dropped to 2 eggs a day. Their combs are all good color & all acting normal. Could they be picking at each other out of boredom? They get several hours free ranging each day. Or does it look like mites/lice? Thx for your advice!

 

[dawg53]

If it were external parasites, you would see them. Mites are very tiny, look like black or red ground pepper and move slowly. They suck blood and can cause anemia, then death.
Lice move fast through feathers and fluff, clusters of eggs can be seen on feather shafts. They are white or off white or straw in color. They are more of an irritant to chickens than anything else.
Boredom can be a cause of feather picking. Try hanging a head of cabbage in the pen, just above head level. That'll put an end to boredom.
Another cause of red bottoms are urates running down the backside. The acid "burns" the bottom, and turns red causing irritation. Apply Nu-stock to the affected area and it'll heal nicely. It'll also prevent feather picking.
You can buy Nu-Stock at a feed store in the equine section. Wear disposable gloves when applying it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What feed are you using? Is it high enough in protein?

What treats are they given and in what quantities?

I see a lot of feathers that were starting to grow in that look nipped off. That is usually done by other birds.

Is your coop and run large enough?
It is recommended to keep 4sq foot of space per bird in the coop and 10 sq foot per bird in the run.

 

[chickenpeeple]

are they molting?

 

[sourland]

Feather pecking/plucking can become a problem in the winter when birds are sometimes more closely confined. The most pristine looking bird in the flock is most likely the villain. Do an on site search on Pin Less Peepers. They can be applied and then removed once the birds have regrown their feathers.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It does look like picking. How big is their coop and run. Crowding can cause picking as well.

 

[DustyChick]

-I'm not sure if they are molting, I'm still still a newbie. The rest of their feathers look normal.
-They are eating Nutrena Nature Smart Organic Pellets - 16% Protein. Is this enough?
- Snacks include a handful of grapes or whatever fruit we have. Sometimes meal worms or handful of scratch once a day. And of course my potted plants.
-I hung a head of cabbage in there once when they were little & it hung untouched for days. Maybe I'll give it another try.
-The run/coop is plenty large for them...12 x 5 plus they free range for 2-3hrs a day.

What would causes urates running?

Thx for all the advice!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally prefer 18-20% protein, especially if you are feeding extras.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

2 weeks ago I noticed 2 of my 4 girls had bare rumps. No blood or obvious signs of trauma

Could they be picking at each other out of boredom?

The run/coop is plenty large for them...12 x 5 plus they free range for 2-3hrs a day.

Australorp, RIR, Silver Laced Wyandotte & a Buff Orpington

I see broken feathers and new feathers coming in. Tiny wounds and scabs from picking too.
It very well could be from boredom, lack of space and/or diet.

You may want to re-try hanging some leafy green veggies in the run. As chickens mature, their tastes change. You can also try upping the protein levels they get. Egg, tuna, meat, etc. or find a higher protein feed.

You have Large Fowl breeds, sometimes when young, they do just fine in smaller coops/runs, but as they mature and come into lay, they just simply need more room. That is something to consider as well. A lot of times picking occurs during roosting time, so you may want to observe them then too.

4'X 12" or 5'X12'? Cute coop/run btw!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/our-san-jose-chicken-coop.74099/

 

[DustyChick]

Oh ya my mistake, I guess it is 4 x 12! My husband does the building & I'm the primary care provider. Hahaha!
So they may be picking at each other at night while roosting? Interesting! We can definitely add another roost in there. Not sure about expanding the run though.
I'll try introducing more protein & hanging leafy greens.

So relieved its not mites or lice!