Several of my hens have bare bottoms. The feathers are gone. Is this normal? They are laying so it's not molting. They are very red. Any help or suggestions?
Hi Glad you could join the flock! Could you post a pic? Have you checked them for parasite? Check your coop for mites. They come out on a night and feed off your birds, this could be bothering them. Also check through their feathers as there could be lice on them. Another thing it could be is that they are feather pecking each other. Do you let them out to free range? Do they have things to entertain them if they are in a coop and run? I hope you can find the cause to this problem. Enjoy BYC and all the chicken chat
I hope you find out what's going on with your bare bottom girls. x2 on Yorkshire coop's thoughts re: pests and boredom. Thanks for joining us!
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. X2 on Yorkshire coop; sounds like a lice infestation (see the pic below of the chicken's bottom with a lice infestation). If so you can effectively treat it with Sevin Dust 5%. Once the lice are gone, the feathers will grow back. I would also advise putting a flat box with wood ash in it in your coop. The chickens love bathing in it and it will help keep lice and mite infestations under control. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8120800987_3230eba93f.jpg
Is there a hen or two in your flock that doesn't have the featherless bottom? If so, they are likely plucking the feathers out of the others. If chickens are too crowded (in coop etc) they feather pluck, bully, and in extreme cases resort to cannibalism. If chickens see "red" as in plucked areas or wounds, they will continue pecking at it. If you could get some Blu Kote as the feed store. cover the bald areas with it so it doesn't show up red.
Hi I am experiencing the same problem. Bare butts and hens eating feathers off each others backs too. Im in WIsconsin and Cannot get my flock to leave their insulated coop. The coop is plenty big. 10 ft long by 6 ft wide and 7 ft tall. The run is big too. 10x10x 10. After every snow I shovel out the run
I am getting 40 plus eggs a week out of seven hens. I have switched to a higher protein feed and supplement scratch grit and calcium. Not sure what else I can do. But you are not alone. Even my poor rooster is being salvaged. His rump is picked clean. I personally think they are bored. Not sure how to cure this.
It can't be mites or lice in my flock. Right before Christmas I Seven dusted coop birds roost. I removed 100 percent of old bedding replaced with new and seven dusted that. I've lost a whole flock before to mites so imn pretty sure its not pests just mean hens.
If they are bored being inside you might try hanging treats they can peck at like cabbage or apples. And maybe some hay spread over the snowy run floor would encourage them to get outside.
