Hi! My white leghorn (only one out of 14) started laying normal eggs around 4 months of age, we are now at about 6 months of age and she has been laying everything from just yolks with no shell, soft shelled eggs, and one really abnormal egg (the shell has actual wrinkles in it). Today is Tues and this past Sun she layed three eggs. One normal, one soft shelled , and one yolk. (The reason I know they are her eggs is she is the only chicken we have that lays white eggs and we actually saw the other two come out).Yesterday I noticed she has poop in her butt feathers so today I caught her and sure enough she has dried poop in her feathers and a red butt!! I held her in one arm and grabbed my phone to start looking up different causes. A lot of feathers are missing (but you can not see they are gone unless you pick her up and lift her feathers to check her vent), it is red, no lice or mites, not prolapsed, really irritated skin, she is eating normal, drinking normal, free range during the day and in coop at night, she is small in size compared to my other chickens but they are Rhode Island Reds, Austrolops, Americanas, and Barred Rocks and very healthy, nobody else is missing feathers, she is not being picked on...... After I searched on my phone, I basically sat her butt in some warm water to remove all the poop and put some soothing cream for irritated bums. After I put her down she then started picking at it whereas before I had not seen her pick. Did I start a problem? Did I hurt her by putting cream on her? I am so confused!! I do not know what a molting chicken looks like but all of my other girls are big and bushy and full of feathers. Please respond with some help! I do not think I have parasites. They eat a laying feed, oyster shell is added, watermelons, cantelopes, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh water, and all the bugs and grass they can eat. They stay between my horse pastures, flower beds, and woods all day til dusk. What should I do? Thanks!!
I would trim off any excess feathers, keep her butt clean, and apply Nustock cream, a sulfur based antifungal cream from the feed store (or mycostatin cream, another antifungal) daily . It may be a case of gleet. Apple cider vinegar in the water and the use of plain yogurt or probiotics twice a week should help. She should get the egg laying done eventually with some maturity.
Thank you so much! When you say feed her yogurt, plain yogurt from grocery store and just put it in a bowl for her? Let everyone have some or just her? Can i also use the probiotics that you put in their water? Thanks again!
Yes, just get plain yogurt from a grocery store. All of your chickens can have it, as it is very beneficial. You can also use probiotics.