frostbite and feather regrowth???? Could someone please help!!!!

[LittleHouseDreams]

Hello,

I hope someone can help me with this potential problem. Two of my three hens feather picked in late winter and got bare behinds because of it. Well I worked tirelessly to get them to stop picking feathers,which they did, however I failed to prevent frostbite in the area that was bare and now several months later there is still a red bare spot on both my girls. Some feathers try to grow but they never seem to quite make it. Will the feathers ever come back? If not will I need to cull them and get some more hens before winter? Please advise as I am worried about them making it through another cold Ohio winter.

Thank you for your help,

Noelle

 

[LynneP]

Hi Noelle- are you sure these hens are not self-plucking? I have have one who does and she was warm enough in the winter. Some of them are broody-ish and like to have their bare skin against the eggs- any sign of that? Is either hen feeling too light for her size?

 

[LittleHouseDreams]

No, there is no sign of broodiness and I do not think they are self plucking. Their skin is red where the feathers are missing and it should be white as they are buff orpingtons.
Any ideas?

 

[LittleHouseDreams]

Does anyone have a thought to my problem? If I need to cull them I need to know so I can get more hens for the one that does not have any problems.

 

[CMV]

You don't need to cull them for bare butts. A lot of folks use vaseline applied to combs and wattles in the winter to prevent frost bite. Maybe use a saddle on them to keep their backs warm.

Are you sure they are not still picking? The reddened skin leads me to believe there may still be something irritating the areas. Have you checked for parasites lately?

 

[LittleHouseDreams]

I do not think they are picking any longer and I check them regularly for any signs of picking. I thought the reddened skin was the frostbite could it be something else? What kind of parasite could cause such a problem?