Feather loss on Chickens bottoms

[tankgirl88]

On two of my Chickens bottoms they are suddenly loosing feathers. A lot. I have had these chickens for 3 weeks now. Got the from a lady. I have been using diatematious earth in feed and in bedding and on them. Also just so you have all facts, they were in my garden scratching(which is fenced in) and my daughter and dog where out side and the dog(who is huge) jumped over the gate and tried to get them. He didnt hurt any of them, we stopped him in time. But did get close enough to get slobber on them. Could this be stress from being attached? Or something else entirely? Please help! Also the Red one is the one who is laying my eggs right now. If she had a parasite are the eggs safe to eat?

 

[tankgirl88]

Actually it's 3 out or the 4 that have feather loss. The red (goes all the way under the belly)and one of the buffs have it the worst. One of the other buffs isnt so bad at all. And the other buff left has none....I looked for mites and lice on them and in the coop(which is also only 3 weeks old) and cant see anything....

 

[bucky52]

You are not alone.I have a Americana that has had a bald but for several months.at first i thought she was moulting.but the only place she lost feathers is on her but.Now lets see if anyone can tell us what is gong on.

 

[tankgirl88]

Yes, Maybe someone can help us out here. From reading all over the internet, its not a molt because that starts at the head. And I cant detect any mites or lice on them or their coop. But just to be safe we are putting Dietomatious Earth in all their bedding and on their feathers, and read somewhere that a good way to get it on they is to put some DE in a sock and kind of gently wack( LOL) the chickens and the affected areas with it. It is quite possible that we have one chicken that is plucking out the other chickens feathers( all are affected accept one, which is suspicious). And it could be due to bordom, or a lack of protein in their diet. So if they have a lack of protein sometimes a chicken wil pluck out and eat the other chickens feather because feathers are made up only of protein. So if it is bordom we are going to try a sugesstion that was read somewhere and hang some produce(such as cabbage) from a string in the coop. Give them something to do. Ours we let free range during most of the day. But maybe when they are in the coop they dont know what to do with themselves. If they are lacking protein then find a way to give them more protein, our are organic chickens, so we need an organic protein. I have hear that you can give them hard boiled eggs. But the only thing that worries me about that is I don't know if they will get a taste for eggs and start eating their eggs before I can get to them. So I will also be looking into some other organic options for protein. Also more protein in their diet will help the chickens who have suffered feather loss regrow their feathers.

 

[ivyrash]

My friend is having this same problem. She has a flock and every one of her chickens has bare bottoms and super red and irritated. She has treated them with seven dust for mites and it hasn't helped. I gave her some wound kote to use on them thinking that maybe they are picking at each other and making a little problem, a lot worse. I am wondering if her coop is too small and they are board and picking at each other because of that.

Maybe between all of us we can figure this out.
Thanks

 

[tankgirl88]

Here is an update on the ladies bare bums! I had a lady in the flock plucking out all the other ladies feathers. I put some blue kote on their bums and after awhile the instigator lost interest. I did separate her from the flock for a couple days too in an attempt to knock her down the pecking order a bit. Somehow that all seemed to help stop the problem. LOL it was pretty easy to tell who did it(the only one with a full bum of feathers) They all had bare bums for a few months until they went through their molt and now they are have their beautiful feathery bums back!