Looking for advice with a flock issue

[alemaire]

Good Morning, I am a first time user and I need some help. We started with 25 RI Reds and one rooster in June of 2010. We lost one baby and recently have had to put down 5 more. We haven't been able to figure out the issue. It appears as though they get a 'sunburned' look on their skin below the vent, the feathers are gone and eventually they get a gaping hole, get weak and we either put them down, or they just die. Their 'sunburned' flesh is also pretty tough feeling to the touch. Our eggs are exceptional, I don't see any issue with their stool which might indicate disease based on what I've read so far. At first when we saw the hole in the body we thought it was something on the insidrying to get out! Then we thought they were egg bound, but their vents look ok. This morning I discovered one with the beginnings of an opening. Could it be that they are doing it to each other? If anyone has an insight our family would greatly appreciate it. This has been a great adventure for us, but this is very distressing to us. We love our birds and don't want to lose them. Thanks in advance for your time.
Amber in Whitingham VT

 

[CMV]

Your birds are cannibalizing each other. The feathers are being picked out of their butts which leaves them looking quite reddened. Once the feathers are gone the birds continue to pick leading to the wounds. If the birds hadn't been put down the wounds would have progressed until the birds were found with their intestines pulled out or just as hollowed out husks.

Are they too crowded? Chickens need 2 sq. ft. of coop space/bird and 10 sq. ft. of run space/bird. Any less than that will lead to these types of problems. Are they too bored? Providing diversions like flock blocks or hanging vegetables can be helpful. Are they getting enough protein in their diet? Feather picking can start as a nutritional deficiency, but rapidly progresses to a behavioral problem. Adding BOSS to their diet is helpful in increasing protein.

Should the aforementioned things not be the problem, then I would look at some of the products on the market designed to deal with these issues. I have used pine tar, Hot Pick/No Pick, and pinless peepers. They all work with varying degrees of success, but I have had the best luck with the pinless peepers. I highly recommend them.

Hope this helps. Good luck.