feather molting near but not around the vent of a pullet

[briand55]

Hello All: New to this site....very nice. We have 6 pullets born in April or so and started laying in Sept of 2007. We have 4 Reds and 2 Black sex links. 2 of the Reds in succession (one week just after the other) have started to lose feathers around their bottoms under their vent, revealing pink skin. They are healthy, happy, and keep laying fine other wise and the first to lose the feathers has already grown more in. This is our first chicken experience and we have read all we can to keep them happy, healthy, and safe. We should note, we did get two very large (double-yolk) eggs recently but we do not know from which hen it was bestowed....but ouch, it had to hurt compared to the sizes of their regular eggs! Any advice or help would be appreciated.

 

[silkiechicken]

If they are being replaced by feathers it should be fine as a moult. You say pink though, so check them for mites or lice by lifting up feathers and seeing if you see any crawlies. Chances are they are fine though.

 

[CarriBrown]

Welcome to the forum!
Have you noticed if those two are on the bottom of the pecking order? The top hens may be "vent picking" and it can become a nasty, hard to break habit.
Another thing, check all your birds for mites, lice, fleas, etc. because they like the vent area, as well as the underside of the neck and around the eyes.

 

[briand55]

Carrie Brown and Silkie Chicken: Thanks for your replies. We are checking for mites, lice etc and dust the nesting and coop area regularly. We haven't identified any as yet but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Interesting about the pecking order advice. Recently, due to our cold weather here in Upstate NY, we have kept them in the coop without access to their run. Their coop is not as large but would qualify as a chicken-condo in my book. They could be bored and that pecking order may be playing itself out. Our Black Sex Links seem to rule the roost and then a very plucky red....the rest are at the bottom so to speak. We shall watch their behavior a bit better. Thanks again!

 

[speckledhen]

My poor BR Lexie has been slow-molting for months because she will not stop laying. She is almost completely bare on her bottom and underneath as well as on her back. If I wanted to pluck her for dinner, it wouldn't take long, let me tell ya. She has no lice/mites; heck, nowhere for them to hide! She just can't grow feathers back like she should while producing an egg a day.

 

[briand55]

Our hens have been averaging an egg per day, even in the lesser light conditions of the winter. So perhaps it is because they are laying so much that they are losing some feathers. I am wondering then, if we should change their feed. They are on adult-laying feed, they do not get artificial light with the exception of on small red heat lamp in the corner of the coop. Sorry for your BR hen. Hope she stays warm!