mites = bare bottom?

[valley ranch]

So Marshmallow (EE hen) had a bad case of mites when we got her. You could see them crawling near her eyes so we turned around and went right backa nd got the powder to treat them. WE have dusted her regularly and they seem to be gone but she has a big bald patch on her bottom. It is pink and looks a little irritated. So now the mites are gone this should heal correct? How long should it take for her feathers to come back? Should we put anything on it? thanks

 

[luvchicks8]

I think roos=bare bottom though I have a new chicken who has the same issue.. I have had her about 2 weeks now and treated mites and she is already looking better, Here is a pic of what it looked like...poor girl. She does look better already but I did put bag balm on her bum and comb and neck not sure if it helped but I figure if it can heel cow udders it can handle red bums.

She also had it on her neck and face

 

[teacake]

Hello - I had the same problem with one of my hens. The fluff on her bottom grew back. The skin on her bottom still looks very pinkish-red, but this is how it looks as they get older, according to my vet who took a look.

 

[theFox]

When chickens loose their feathers for any reason the bare skin that gets exposed to the sun will turn red. Your bird will be fine and the feathers will grow back in their own time provided you actually took care of the cause and the bird is getting proper nutrition.

 

[valley ranch]

Thanks.
She isn't eating as much as I would expect but she is not loosing weight that I can tell. She gets a mix of scratch and flock starter (? I think it is) She doesn't peck around like the other hens. She spends alot of time sitting down.
I do not see her scratching just normal preening.
Her comb is pink not red should it be red?

 

[theFox]

How old is she?

Even though she had mites at one point that doesn't mean that they were the cause of her feather loss, it would depend upon how long and how bad the infestation was.

A bird that regularly lays will also loose butt fuzz.

In order to help feathers grow back you shouldn't feed much scratch unless you offset it with a much higher protein level source.

Sometimes if the feather loss is severe, new feathers might not grow until the next molt.

 

[valley ranch]

We have no idea how old she is. We have only had her for about a week. She looks fully grown. (weighs a ton) Someone had dumped her so we took her in. She had mites crawling all over her face when we got her. But the rooster she came with which supposedly was housed with her was clear. Strange huh?? She also had the bare bottom. It is an area about the size of the mouth of a large coffee cup. I'll try to get a pic. But you can't really see it unless she turns her feathers up to preen, it is underneath.
She gets more of the flock starter (I think that is what it was called) than the scratch. it is about 2/3flock and 1/3 scratch. She also has bugs to catch in the corral and we give her kitchen scraps, like last ngiht she got a corn cob. Should she eat differently?

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Scratch should only be a little bit every several days, it should never be 1/3 of the ration you are feeding them.

 

[chicmom]

Hello--

Just wanted to share some info....since she needs to regrow some feathers, it would be a good idea to feed her layer feed, and also some chick starter/grower, which has a higher level of protein. Also, some scrambled eggs would be delicious for her too, and has lots of protein. Feathers are made of mostly of protein, so they need extra protein to grow more feathers. Also, while they LOVE LOVE LOVE scratch and cracked corn, that is basically like candy to a chicken, and doesn't provide much nutritional value.

 

[valley ranch]

ok thanks for the info. I'll reduce the scratch. The people at the feed store told me that this super scratch is good for chickens.
I think I have some chick starter left I can give her. I'll have to buy layer food don't have any of that.

So what do you have as the stape diet for a chicken?