Irritated skin from pecking.

[Bmhughes89]

Came down to the coop today and noticed my hen standing on one foot. Upon closer inspection I noticed she has, what looks like, been getting pecked around the chest. I’ve had other hens that have gotten pecked but her skin looks more irritated than the others had. Their food and water routine has been the same. We have had 17 days straight of rain. I’m not sure if that would have anything to do with it, but everything has been mud. Even with straw, it only last for an hour in the coop.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Her feathers are also quite worn, frayed, hollow looking (when I zoom in they look like finger prints... you probably have mite or lice that you need to treat for... though older birds can start to look pretty ragged before molt since feathers are old. Wet weather is loved by MANY parasites.

Yes, 17 days of rain can very well effect the flock and give them a hint of cabin fever causing more behavioral issue than you might normally see.

Visual barriers. Hanging broccoli, cabbage, or corn cob just out of reach so they spend physical and mental energy trying to get it.

How the red is concentrated to one area... looks like maybe an injury to me... landing hard when coming of roost maybe?

What IS your feed routine? What do feed on a regular basis including treats and supplements? How many birds in how much space? Free range?

 

[Bmhughes89]

Her feathers are also quite worn, frayed, hollow looking (when I zoom in they look like finger prints... you probably have mite or lice that you need to treat for... though older birds can start to look pretty ragged before molt since feathers are old. Wet weather is loved by MANY parasites.

Yes, 17 days of rain can very well effect the flock and give them a hint of cabin fever causing more behavioral issue than you might normally see.

Visual barriers. Hanging broccoli, cabbage, or corn cob just out of reach so they spend physical and mental energy trying to get it.

How the red is concentrated to one area... looks like maybe an injury to me... landing hard when coming of roost maybe?

What IS your feed routine? What do feed on a regular basis including treats and supplements? How many birds in how much space? Free range?

We feed them whole grains and seed. Meal worms and other scraps from our farm. (Corn, sunflower heads, cucumbers, etc) we have 8 chickens that have a 20x8 run and we cycle them through a chicken tractor that’s about 3x6. This chicken was in the tractor for 1 day when I noticed this. I thought about mites. I couldn’t see any signs of mites on any other hens. That’s why I came here. Thank you!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I couldn’t see any signs of mites on any other hens. That’s why I came here.

I just LOVE BYC, for all the great information!

So.. in studies conducted in back yard flocks... 10% of the birds carried 90% of the parasites. Since all are individuals... some will have better immune systems and fight things off better than others including internal parasites and such. So this one may just be showing symptoms sooner than others.

With so much variation in your feeding... all birds will have the opportunity to pick out only the goodies they want. This MAY cause some to have more nutritional deficit than others... and even known to cause fatty liver syndrome and sudden death in some flocks that fed the nice "whole" (even organic) feeds instead of the extruded pellets/crumbles which does not allow the birds to be picky or choosy. Seeds and meal worm are VERY high in fat... while grain is often pretty low in protein. I can see that she looks like a dual purpose bird... and will do best with not less than 18% protein. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids. Amino acids from animal sources are key... you may be getting that from your meal worms. However, I strongly encourage you to try and figure out your levels of protein/fat/vitamins/minerals. Corn is only about 7% protein. Nutrition is KEY to everything chicken aside from genetics and sometimes living conditions. Though it looks like you try to provide a variety... what is missing that is in the formulated rations is the added vitamins and minerals. Yes corn is an energy source as it provides calories... but is VERY low in nutrients. Do you feed back eggs or egg shells or provide oyster shell on the side? Are your meal worms live or dry? I'm not saying you must change... I am sharing information and you make your best decision.

How old is she?

Another thing regarding mites... (okay, that isn't the usual place to notice red skin, check under the vent near the abdomen and also look for clumps of "dirt" near the base of feathers on those areas) They can't always be seen as some are microscopic and other don't live on the bird but only come out to feed on them. So very often we are just looking at evidence. It is actually best to look for parasites an hour or so after dark using a flashlight and parting the feathers below vent/abdomen. Things tend to reveal themselves much differently than during day time handling.

Please note that IF you decide you need to treat, all birds should be treated at the same time. My preferred method is permethrin spray. Lots of threads on here about it.

Do your birds have a dirt bath accessible? Have you witnessed said pecking? Is it a specific bully?

@Wyorp Rock @rebrascora @Folly's place... any thoughts here?

 

[snow5164]

I noticed lower on the photo looks like dirty feathers maybe from loose poop. That’s not from pecking , she has very pronounced bones sticking out , she needs a better more complete diet , just because they seem ok doesn’t mean they’re healthy .

Good luck treating her

 

[rebrascora]

@EggSighted4Life

I think you covered that pretty comprehensively. Not sure there is much I can add. The long period of wet weather will have meant that dust bathing opportunities have been very limited and at this time of year external parasites can very quickly get out of hand, so that would be my guess.
I too would have concerns about the long term effects of the diet you are giving them. Orps seem to be particularly prone to Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome and the whole grains and seeds diet when not free ranged will increase the risk.

That said, as @snow5164 points out, her breast bone is very prominent. It might be worth checking her crop function... a slow/sour crop can cause irritation and result in them plucking themselves. Broody hens also pluck their own breast feathers and Orps have a tendency to be broody, so that is something else to consider.

As regards standing on one leg, check the sole of her foot out for a black scab which would indicate a staph infection (bumblefoot). Again your wet muddy conditions could have contributed to this by allowing bacteria to thrive. Is she lame when she walks or is she just taking every opportunity to lift the weight off that foot?

 

[Bmhughes89]

Thanks everyone for the information. I’ll try to respond to as much as I can. I work at a fish house, so I provide them with crushed oyster shells pretty frequently and egg shells when we have the extras laying around. I’m not sure of her age. She was abandoned along with three other hens in someone’s back yard and a real estate friend asked if we could take them. I think she’s about 1.5-2 years old. Our meal worms are dried.(can’t remember the exact brand we get from farmers supply. The wet has left them inside a lot this month so not too many dust baths. They are placed on top of our crops when they are used in the chicken tractor to clear the old crops and till the ground. I checked for bumblefoot when I first saw her standing like that. That’s what caught my attention and I noticed the patch. I’ve inspected her for scaly leg as well but didn’t find anything. I separated her from the flock and she is fine now. She’s running around and puts full pressure on her foot and will let me look at it. We had one hen that was a bully a month ago but she is gone now. I wasn’t sure if another hen had picked up her bad behavior. I really appreciate all the information. I will look into changing her diet. I would love to free range them, but on our small plot that isn’t possible. Their new chicken run is 11x30 right now.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The wet has left them inside a lot this month so not too many dust baths.

Well, dust baths don't completely eliminate parasites, they just help. Reason I asked was so I could offer a suggestion of putting a raised tub somewhere covered, If not a child's swimming pool, an old tire, or like a concrete mixing tub.

Very kind of you to take them in!

I too figured she was an Orpington cross since she looks so close, except her comb... She is a cute girl.... and in good hands now!

How can people leave their animals behind to fend for themselves? To selfish to give them away. Something I hadn't considered my daughter having to face as SHE considers going into real estate.

 

[Bmhughes89]

I actually have like 5 tires with dirt in them but didn’t think of putting them in a covered area. This rain has caused so many problems I’m running in so many directions. Unfortunately, people leave their animals all the time around here. We also took in 7 ducks that people just left, but we just let them roam around our property. We have a big creek in the very back so it seemed like the right thing to let them free range.

 

[snow5164]

As for your tires of soil if you are having that much rain , I’d mix some sand and wood ash in to lighten the soil ,

And of course as said above find a covered location for it ,

Our dust bath area is old nesting boxes we pulled out and put in the run, no backs on them but they get used , especially with fresh wood ash , leave the pieces in they love to eat them.

Good luck , you have a tender heart and will do the best you can for all your animals