My Chickens underside is turning into stone

[Erinf1989]

I have a frizzle chicken who has never let me pick her up and I recently noticed she has been walking funny. Today I managed to grab her and all underneath her chest and thigh areas she has huge hard scabby masses! They feel like rocks and look like cracked dried chicken fat. I soaked her in the tub and one fell off but the others are attached to her skin! I thought it could be mites but none of the other chickens have an issue! I checked them all. She is a small chicken who always gets picked on and sleeps on the ground due to not having wings because her feathers are curled backwards. The piece that fell of was over an inch long and wide and looked like yellow dried scabs with feather particles mixed in. The piece that fell off is in the pic I attached

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Usually mine get like that when they're sleeping in their feces and can't get away from it

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I was reading about this happening in chickens about a month ago. I'd keep soaking her until this is cleared up. It's not good for her to sleep in her feces. I have a frizzle, I believe @JacinLarkwell does as well, and it is possible to get them sleeping on a roost. My frizzle rooster is able to get on and off the roost with his bantam flockmates but will sometimes wait for me to help him down. Your bird will be much better off sleeping up out of the poop. I'd get a low roost installed for this bird and start placing them on it every night until they learn to jump up by themselves. Chickens can get an infection from this, ~think bumblefoot but on the breastbone~. Plus the poop sitting against their skin constantly will eventually burn and irritate the area.
@JacinLarkwell @Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive @aart
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I always worry that I passing on inaccurate information anytime I haven't personally experienced the issue.

@Erinf1989 I wish you the best with your flock, especially this chicken.

 

[Erinf1989]

I was reading about this happening in chickens about a month ago. I'd keep soaking her until this is cleared up. It's not good for her to sleep in her feces. I have a frizzle, I believe @JacinLarkwell does as well, and it is possible to get them sleeping on a roost. My frizzle rooster is able to get on and off the roost with his bantam flockmates but will sometimes wait for me to help him down. Your bird will be much better off sleeping up out of the poop. I'd get a low roost installed for this bird and start placing them on it every night until they learn to jump up by themselves. Chickens can get an infection from this, ~think bumblefoot but on the breastbone~. Plus the poop sitting against their skin constantly will eventually burn and irritate the area.

We have a ladder style roost and the first bar is very low. We also keep our coop very clean and toss around the shavings every day. There was a period this winter when it was mostly frozen and she was sleeping under the roost. maybe it is from that. I don’t think it would be mites or lice due to not finding any pics of the skin being that bad. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You may have to physically set her on the roost for a while. Right now, give her a warm bath to work the matted waste out. Frizzles can still fly short distances. Mine could fly about 3-4 feet up to roost with her friends when she wasn't molting. However she was always in a molt so that was rarely. I normally just picked her up at night and set her on the roost

 

[Erinf1989]

I was reading about this happening in chickens about a month ago. I'd keep soaking her until this is cleared up. It's not good for her to sleep in her feces. I have a frizzle, I believe @JacinLarkwell does as well, and it is possible to get them sleeping on a roost. My frizzle rooster is able to get on and off the roost with his bantam flockmates but will sometimes wait for me to help him down. Your bird will be much better off sleeping up out of the poop. I'd get a low roost installed for this bird and start placing them on it every night until they learn to jump up by themselves. Chickens can get an infection from this, ~think bumblefoot but on the breastbone~. Plus the poop sitting against their skin constantly will eventually burn and irritate the area.
@JacinLarkwell @Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive @aart
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I always worry that I passing on inaccurate information anytime I haven't personally experienced the issue.

@Erinf1989 I wish you the best with your flock, especially this chicken.

We have a ladder style roost and the first bar is very low. We also keep our coop very clean and toss around the shavings every day. There was a period this winter when it was mostly frozen and she was sleeping under the roost. maybe it is from that. I don’t think it would be mites or lice due to not finding any pics of the skin being that bad. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it

 

[Erinf1989]

You may have to physically set her on the roost for a while. Right now, give her a warm bath to work the matted waste out. Frizzles can still fly short distances. Mine could fly about 3-4 feet up to roost with her friends when she wasn't molting. However she was always in a molt so that was rarely. I normally just picked her up at night and set her on the roost

It’s definitely not matted waste, it’s definitely dead skin cells. It’s almost like it was puss that dried. I can’t even find a picture online to compare. It’s a bunch of spots on her breast bone area.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

My Silkies and Cochins wouldn't stop sleeping under the roosts on the floor, so I put a shelf over them to keep the poop off of them and where they slept. Worked like a charm.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

It’s definitely not matted waste, it’s definitely dead skin cells. It’s almost like it was puss that dried. I can’t even find a picture online to compare. It’s a bunch of spots on her breast bone area.

Sounds like this is the area where infection typically forms. Along the keel bone is sharp and if it's rubbing/resting on a surface a small place starts to wear. Then add in poop (not insinuating your coop is unclean by any means but rather her own poop as she fidgets throughout the night) and that's prime for an infection to begin. Hopefully the rest of the matter will be able to be removed soon.

Welcome to BYC! We're happy to have you join us. If you have a chance, feel free to share some pictures of your chickens. I LOVE admiring others flocks

 

[Erinf1989]

Sounds like this is the area where infection typically forms. Along the keel bone is sharp and if it's rubbing/resting on a surface a small place starts to wear. Then add in poop (not insinuating your coop is unclean by any means but rather her own poop as she fidgets throughout the night) and that's prime for an infection to begin. Hopefully the rest of the matter will be able to be removed soon.

Welcome to BYC! We're happy to have you join us. If you have a chance, feel free to share some pictures of your chickens. I LOVE admiring others flocks