Ingrown Feathers? Now with pictures!

[Cookie666]

Yeah, I've had these. No big deal. I cut the skin with a nailclipper but the feather usually doesn't grow properly. I've found one which was just a bump like a pimple and it was just a glob of waxy stuff inside, no feather. Another one grew out and curled back into the skin. I cut it and pulled out the end - it left a crater there! The remainder of the feather grew out, still a bit curled, but when I handled it, it fell out. Anyhoo, these are no big deal.

 

[MisuneKiryu]

By waxy coat do you mean like the feather is a spine covered in a waxy substance? Is it sticky? If not your chicken could just be growing its feathers back and it is natural mine do it all the time.

 

[Velisabeth]

I just found an ingrown feather on my girls neck. I have been giving my roo and hen daily scratches because they are molting and let me tell you compared to my mom parrot chicken look rough after molting. Anyway, found a sore looking bump on my hen next to a feather shaft (looks like the end of shoelace strings), i figured it was a shaft overcrowding the follicle, I pressed on it a little to discover no shaft. I poked it a bit got the same clear liquid followed by waxy stuff my guess is build up from an improperly sprouted feather, and then the freak feather. clear it all out with no protest from my hen and now she is back to her normal. I can only think that their feather are similar to our hair with follicles that can back up cause puss (waxy stuff) and need to be cleared. but i am no chicken expert I just started. I hope your chicken has feathers on her butt now that the weather is getting colder!

 

[jaywin]

Hi there. I’ve just given my hen an Epsom salt bath thinking what ever was wrong that couldn’t hurt and I found several ingrown feathers in exactly the same place as yours. I kept her settled and managed to removed them - maybe some more so I’ll try again tomorrow. Her butt was much redder than your picture but is already starting to look a little better. I have given her nutridrops and metacalm for the pain as it can’t have been nice. I’ve spoken to the vets asking for antibiotic cream and I’m waiting for a call back - I won’t be taking her to the vet as I can’t afford the charge for consultation etc and I have forty hens so it’s just not feasible to take everyone to the vet whenever anything is wrong, but I am hopeful they may let me have it without seeing her - I’ve been with them for a long time for dogs and horses. I am in the mean time going to use a herbal salve I made with coconut carrier oil, lavender and tea tree essential oil’s in as I do have faith in natural remedies as well as conventional meds. She is snoozing on my knee rather enjoying her trip into the house at the minute. Not sure if this will help anyone but there you go x