Bare/red rear end

[rosieMae]

Hi all. I'm new at this and was hoping someone could diagnose what might be going on with my hen's (she's a RIR) rear end in these photos. Looks awful. Would mites or parasites cause this? Just crazy molting?

Cheers!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would spend some time with them to see who may be pecking her. She could even be pecking herself. Look her over closely, especially around the vent for any tiny lice,egg, or mites, in case she is scratching. Nustock cream would be good to apply to her skin to prevent pecking and to heal the skin. Make sure the chickens have plenty of room in their coop, are getting at least 16% protein in their layer feed, and are getting outside daily to roam.

 

[rosieMae]

Thank you for your reply. I had not heard of Nustock cream but that sounds like a great thing to try. I have not seen her or any of my other 3 hens pecking at her. In fact, she is the loud, bossy one. I tried to inspect the area more carefully today but did not see any tiny critters crawling around. I'm quite an amateur, though, and not very confident in my diagnosing ability. I worry about mites or parasites because they do not have any bare patches of dirt to bathe in and do not seem interested in the dust bath we built them and filled with peat moss and DE. The other three hens we have look fine, though.