- Oct 19, 2009
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Help, my Barred Rock seems to be loosing more feathers each day. I'm concerned because where we live (in Maine) she won't survive with so much exposed skin.
Background:
She's about 1.5 years old, the biggest of our 4 birds (1 barred, 2 RR and 1 Astrolorpe). No roosters. Late last winter I noticed that when she'd poop, it was almost like she had too much down and the poop would get tangled and hang from it. Then it would freeze and snowball into a bigger poop ball. Eventually I cut the wad from her (cutting a couple feathers) to hopefully help but since then, her bald spot has only gotten worse. Id' say she's missing a softball size area of feathers starting from the vent area and is now working it's way to baldness up under her wing areas. I have seen no signs of lice/bugs and all other chickens are fine. The area just below where she poops is really red (I'm guessing because poop is somewhat acidic), but all other areas are skin colored. Yesterday I also noticed that she's missing some feathers on her underside (belly/breastbone area too).
Other girls don't seem to pester her and there are no bloody areas. All chickens are free range and not typically in their coop until dusk and then out at sunrise. They have very little competition for food/water.
Any ideas on what to do for her? She seems fine, eating, drinking, and doing her normal chicken activities. She's not broody and seems to be laying fine. My biggest concern that if she doesn't grow her feathers back she'll get terrible frost bite soon enough. It's already down in the 30's in Maine at night. I don't think this is moulting as the bare butt problem has been developing all spring/summer.
Thoughts?
Background:
She's about 1.5 years old, the biggest of our 4 birds (1 barred, 2 RR and 1 Astrolorpe). No roosters. Late last winter I noticed that when she'd poop, it was almost like she had too much down and the poop would get tangled and hang from it. Then it would freeze and snowball into a bigger poop ball. Eventually I cut the wad from her (cutting a couple feathers) to hopefully help but since then, her bald spot has only gotten worse. Id' say she's missing a softball size area of feathers starting from the vent area and is now working it's way to baldness up under her wing areas. I have seen no signs of lice/bugs and all other chickens are fine. The area just below where she poops is really red (I'm guessing because poop is somewhat acidic), but all other areas are skin colored. Yesterday I also noticed that she's missing some feathers on her underside (belly/breastbone area too).
Other girls don't seem to pester her and there are no bloody areas. All chickens are free range and not typically in their coop until dusk and then out at sunrise. They have very little competition for food/water.
Any ideas on what to do for her? She seems fine, eating, drinking, and doing her normal chicken activities. She's not broody and seems to be laying fine. My biggest concern that if she doesn't grow her feathers back she'll get terrible frost bite soon enough. It's already down in the 30's in Maine at night. I don't think this is moulting as the bare butt problem has been developing all spring/summer.
Thoughts?
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