Chicken has a red and irritated back, please help!!

[DobieLover]

she seems to be getting better, slowly, but surely. just wondering if there is anything I can do to speed up the healing process.

You can't speed up feather growth. Feathers that have broken off at the skin will not grow back until the molt.
I have never fed layer feed in the over 6 years I have owned chickens. I feed an all flock type of feed for a combined average of 20% protein. I keep two containers of oyster shell on the side for free choice feeding. The molting girls never touch it during their molt or winter break. The level in the OS containers starts to drop again when spring comes and the eggs start up again.
Feeding this way ensures my birds get a more optimal amount of protein that the bare minimum to keep the bird cranking out eggs. AND they do not need that extra calcium in layer feed when they are not producing eggs. It's just an added strain on the kidneys.

 

[Kay-T-Hammer]

She has had it for about 2 months, but she continues to act normal. her feathers seem to be growing in, but then they aren't.

This right here sounds like my Pox. Hers was initially due to being a rooster favorite, but then I caught her eating her own feathers as they were growing in. It sounds like feather pecking to me.

 

[swampfox440]

 

[Buttercup is the best]

You can't speed up feather growth. Feathers that have broken off at the skin will not grow back until the molt.
I have never fed layer feed in the over 6 years I have owned chickens. I feed an all flock type of feed for a combined average of 20% protein. I keep two containers of oyster shell on the side for free choice feeding. The molting girls never touch it during their molt or winter break. The level in the OS containers starts to drop again when spring comes and the eggs start up again.
Feeding this way ensures my birds get a more optimal amount of protein that the bare minimum to keep the bird cranking out eggs. AND they do not need that extra calcium in layer feed with they are not producing eggs. It's just an added strain on the kidneys.

Thanks so much, that is really good to know. How do you keep the mice off the oyster shells??

 

[muddy75]

Welcome to BYC

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks so much, that is really good to know. How do you keep the mice off the oyster shells??

You have mice in your oyster shells but not your feed? That sounds a bit weird. Those mice must be old and needing calcium for their bones or something.

You'd need to get rid of the mice totally. There are a zillion threads about how to do that, but our two cats don't let them in the coop, or anywhere around here. If you type "mice" in the search, you'll see what I mean, but here's one with lots of ideas.

Good luck!

 

[DobieLover]

How do you keep the mice off the oyster shells??

I've never seen signs that mice are getting into my OS.