chicken with red and dry looking skin

[chickchikk]

hi!! i'm a new user who has a chicken with reddish-skin. I can't tell if it's a rash (we've been getting a lot of rain recently and they're free ranged so i think they would be perching on damp branches) or if it's a problem caused by something else.

Any help identifying what's happening to my poor chicken is greatly appreciated! If you could tell me how to treat it (i don't have access to a vet because my country lacks vets who treat chickens) I would be extremely grateful as well T-T

 

[Kiraeh]

Where on the chicken is this skin? Looks like the keel, which would mean your thought about perches is in the right direction. Is it a big heavy bird? Keel blisters can be pretty common on meat chickens, if they rest their weight on them while roosting, and particularly if they sleepin the ground in their poop(tho that's more a problem with meat kings, which it doesn't look like your bird is).
Or, is this a hen? Could she be plucking feathers off her chest because she's been feeling broody? That would leave her more vulnerable to getting scratched up if she then roosts on a tree.

 

[chickchikk]

i'm

Where on the chicken is this skin? Looks like the keel, which would mean your thought about perches is in the right direction. Is it a big heavy bird? Keel blisters can be pretty common on meat chickens, if they rest their weight on them while roosting, and particularly if they sleepin the ground in their poop(tho that's more a problem with meat kings, which it doesn't look like your bird is).
Or, is this a hen? Could she be plucking feathers off her chest because she's been feeling broody? That would leave her more vulnerable to getting scratched up if she then roosts on a tree.

no she's a pretty small bird i think she's a bantam

she's also pretty old and has stopped laying or lays infrequently. is it possible that this is caused by lying on wet surfaces? the grass that she nests on might be getting wet because of the uneven ground that's causing water collection

 

[aart]

the grass that she nests on

What do you mean by "nests on"?
It looks like how a broody hen plucks her belly feathers.
How old is she?
Just wet shouldn't cause that irritation, lying in poop might tho.

Welcome to BYC! @chickchikk
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[chickchikk]

What do you mean by "nests on"?
It looks like how a broody hen plucks her belly feathers.
How old is she?
Just wet shouldn't cause that irritation, lying in poop might tho.

Welcome to BYC! @chickchikk
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2504734

at night she perches so her poop isn't anywhere near her body but during the day since she's free range she often lies on grass to rest in a fenced up patch of grass. i can't tell if it's poop or mud on the grass that's causing this but i'll keep a look out for the sanitation of the area.

she's also hitting 5 years old soon so she hasn't really been laying as much when she was 1-3, and has started to get grey-ish feathers.

 

[aart]

What is your climate/location?

Have had more than a few birds with reddish butt/belly skin over the years,
some that looked way worse than that.
Couldn't ever attribute it anything specific.
It comes and goes, sometimes within days.

Birds don't 'go gray' with age like mammals can.

Not sure you can 'sanitize' the ground, or even if the redness is caused by that.

I'd look first for bugs on her.
My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008