I have 5 chickens and the bottom two are getting their wing feathers yanked on. Gradually over the past few months it’s turned into a bald spot on one chicken and what I can imagine will be a bald spot on the other chicken in the exact same spot. We are slowly introducing hen saddles that cover the wings, but haven’t had much luck getting the wearers to accept them.
My question is, should I be worried about the bald spot? It has appeared a tich red the past few days and so I’ve been coating the area in A&D ointment at night. Will the feathers become ingrown? They’re not fully plucked out and seem to be broken off at the base. I suspect the chickens will molt in the fall but not sure, they were a year old in May.
Also, anyone have tips about getting chickens to accept hen saddles? I’ve left them laying around the yard where the hens could see them for a week and then we tried to put on and it was a no go. I’m afraid to keep trying because they freak out and run like crazy when they are on. I just can’t subject them to that in this heat. How do I slowly introduce them to the hens?
Pics attached of the bare skin showing - oily looking from the ointment.
My question is, should I be worried about the bald spot? It has appeared a tich red the past few days and so I’ve been coating the area in A&D ointment at night. Will the feathers become ingrown? They’re not fully plucked out and seem to be broken off at the base. I suspect the chickens will molt in the fall but not sure, they were a year old in May.
Also, anyone have tips about getting chickens to accept hen saddles? I’ve left them laying around the yard where the hens could see them for a week and then we tried to put on and it was a no go. I’m afraid to keep trying because they freak out and run like crazy when they are on. I just can’t subject them to that in this heat. How do I slowly introduce them to the hens?
Pics attached of the bare skin showing - oily looking from the ointment.
