Losing feathers, pasty butt. Molting or sick chicken?

[Ailin]

Hello fellow byc members. We're new and 1st time chicken owners. We bought 3 hens from craigslist and one of them which we think is an Australorp has these symptoms. She is the leader of the pack I think. She use to be our best layer but hasn't laid any eggs for 2 days. However, she is still eating. She looks so srawny and torn up that I'm wondering if she's sick or just molting?
We have her a warm butt bath yesterday to wipe off the pasty butt last night but look at the images from today. She still has the pasty butt. Can someone please tell me if this is a phase or if she is really sick? The comb (the on her head) is red. Don't they turn black when they are sick?

Can some fellow byc members tell me if these pictures mean anything? Thank you so much in advance. We're just so worried about her...

Linda

 

[Judy]

Molts begin at the head and neck. Feather loss around the vent is usually due to others pulling her feathers and/or to lice and mites -- which I would treat for, having gotten them off Craigs list. Usually a sick chicken's comb first turns pale, if they are sick enough. I would probably also worm her, with Valbazen. The pasty butt could be a number of things, possibly simply constipation from not getting enough water. Here are some links that may help you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=472405

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5770173#p5770173

Good luck!

 

[Ailin]

thank you! I needed someone w/ experience to confirm these pictures.

Just an update, she has been laying shell less eggs for about 5 days now. She looks like she's molting (we live in California and its hot here), but with pasty butt. Does molting cause this?
We went to check on her at night with a flashlight and we don't think we saw any lice/mites. Her poop doesn't look like there are worms in it.
She's still eating like there's no tomorrow. This is totally confusing us. Please help???
1

 

[Ailin]

Oh and we do have oyster shell option, but still no shell eggs

 

[froggiesheins]

How long have you had your hens? AND How old are they?

When you purchase "cold" from an ad rather than from a reputable breeder you sometimes can be purchasing "problems".

Do you have a fan for them to escape the heat? Lots of shade? I live in LA county and yes it was toasty. The heat is really hard on them too.

If there are alot of long feathers around the vent and the poop is getting stuck in those feathers you can trim them.

After cleaning vent area w/ warm water etc... put some neosporin type ointment on the raw skin to aid in healing.

Use pedialyte, without iron, in the water and you can try giving yogurt for the flora&fauna of the gut.

These are just some things I would do if this was my girl.

Hope this helps some........LOL

 

[Ailin]

Thanks froggiesheins.

We did wash her but with warm water mix with baby wash but the next day, it just gets pasty again.
We alternate between electrolyte with vitamins in her water one day and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar the next.
So far nothing as changed, but still pasty, loosing feathers, eggs with no shell - 6 days in a row if you count today (they break and gets all the nesting all wet so we have to scoop it out before she or the other two starts eating it).

I don't know how old they are because the previous owner inherited from her neighbor that relocated to NY for work. She knows nothing of them, didn't even know the breed. I had to read up and research on my own. We have an Eglu cube and we put a corrugated roof on top (got the idea here on the byc forum,thanks!), so they do have shade.

I don't know if its a long shot but we are hoping that its molting. is it too far fetched to? *sigh*

Thanks again!

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
WOW, this is a mind bender for sure.......try the yogurt however it can't hurt and maybe could help.

What food does she get? AND have you been giving the same foods to her the entire time you have had her?

How long have you had her?

If you had to guess the age, based on how long the seller had these birdies, and did the seller find out how long the previous owner had the birdies, what do you think is the age??

Molting + heat= maybe the problem?????..............

Keep bumping this thread and you might possibly get someone to see it that for sure can answer it...LOL