help three of my road island reds are having problems .

[cmontroy]

hello my road island reds are having problems .two of my hens have molted so bad that now their backs are Bald.And it dose not seam to be growing back. But my third hen has a nasty balded spot on her bum, and its red and inflamed. they are about a year old .and it started just after the last frost we had hear. I live in upstate New York .
she has stop laying and I am worried about them all. Is there some spray I can put on her . I have changed their bedding from hay to wood chips . they have Plenty of water.I have water stations all over the Yard .they free range and go back to the coop to eat and sleep . they have gotten in to sunflower seeds that I put out for the songbirds , but nothing else their poo looks normal .can the roster be doing something to them . I have 5 hens and 1 roster ,he is not showing any sines of anything and nether is my other two hens .should I separate them, this is my first tim having chickens , so any help would be welcomed. thank you . Charlene .

 

[BrownEggFan]

If your rooster is especially amorous toward these three hens, he could be causing the feather loss. From what I have read here on BYC, they will not regrow the feathers until they molt. You should probably separate them so he doesn't cause further damage (ripped flesh, etc.). However, that will put the rooster in with just two hens which could result in the same thing happening to them. Maybe it would be best to put your roo in a separate pen?

 

[High Roost Ranch]

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Good advice. Your male has his favorites, and that is showing in feather loss. Best to separate him and let him be with them for only a short time every few days if you want fertile eggs. You can also try hen saddles. Lots of people use them to protect their hens.

 

[NurseNettie]

You've gotten good advice on separating your rooster from your hens to give them a break.
That said-- the ones that are not laying right now, may be in a true molt-- so they will drop in egg production while they are producing feathers. It's not uncommon, and nothing to worry about. Make sure they have a good, balanced feed, and you can supplement with more protein now if you'd like, while feathers are coming in.
They ARE ugly little buggers when they blow their feathers like that-- it seems like overnight all the body feathers are gone, then later the leg feathers are gone. It still takes me by surprise when I have a naked-legged hen running around!

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[cmontroy]

Thank you He dose have his Favorite its Henny penny . and she is the worst of the ones with the back trouble .but its it the same thing with Page she is the one who has a bald spot on her bum. and its red and inflamed . I have look at her and there is no dirt on any thing and its clean . no owsing . no puss or any thing she just has a sore bum.

 

[NurseNettie]

The Roos always have their favorites, and they do cause some irritation and feather loss. If you can keep him separate for a few days at a time, it might help them out.

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[megcpat]

It wouldn't hurt anything to take a super good look at the skin and the feather shafts of this hen of yours with the red bum. It could be mite or louse infestation with her. Look really hard at the skin of her vent area and lower down. check under her wings also. Just look for anything crawling around down there.