MY HENS BUTT IS RAW AND RED, WHAT IS IT?????

[teriid856]

Well I went to talk to my feed supply people (also where I bought my hens). Never guess what they say it is........... Early molting! Can you believe it? They said I'm the third person this week that has come in with the same thing. Because of this crazy warm spells we keep having here in the NE they think some hens are being sent into an early molt.
My poor girls hiney looks so sore. I used the desitin & tums paste and I dusted the coop bedding w/ DE. She actually seem to like when I rubbed it.

Another question...do they lay while they're molting? Geez I sure hope not, that would really hurt.

 

[Katy]

I don't think I agree with the people at the feed store.....I've never in 30+ years of having hens had one have red swollen rear end from molting. People at the feed stores usually know less than you do about your chickens. Maybe if more than one person has talked to them about it could be the feed they're selling.

 

[teriid856]

Actually I don't get my feed there. I've never seen molting before as I 'm new at having chickens.(I'm sure thats pretty obvious) What does it look like when they molt?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Well...You will know when they molt...looks like they have sneezed and exploded overnight...lol...Chicken usually don't go into their first heavy molt til they are over a year old and it happens mostly in the Aug. to Nov. time frame....

I'm with Katy.....

 

[teriid856]

I'm with Katy too. But I wish my hen was too so Katy could look at her and tell me what the heck to do!! <G> When I was rubbing the paste on her, her butt actually looks and felt like it was filled up with water, like a small water ballon under her skin. Do you think its like a diaper rash type thing? IAnd its not just a little red, its beet red, almost scabby looking. Shes still eating and drinking. Thanks everyone for trying to help. I feel so bad for her, wish I could do something.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

mites is possible i have gotten some in with those before but none ever looked like that even as infested as they where. we just saw little bugs in the feathers after we got them home and started bathing them. if it was that u should see them real bad at night around her vent especially. usually a few minutes after picking the bird up they are crawling on ur hands. if de doesn't work i use adams flea and tick spray if dh does it he uses sevin dust but i'm highly alergic to it on my skin cause it is a pesticide it puts me in the hospital from chemical poisoning so i can't be around it.

i have a flock of 100+ birds mine have never had that from molting either. i don't see anything with that except feathers everywhere. they slow molt here so most ya see is new pin feathers no bald spots and it looks like a masacre in the bottom of the runs and coops feathers everywhere.

i agree with the feed stores, at least here most are cow farmers or don't own farm animals but know nothing about chickens reguardless. it sounds like diaper rashes my daughter gets from drinking pure juice or eating tomatoe sauces that's why i suggested it. is there any chance it is a yeast infection? sometimes she gets both at the same time. that mixed paste get's rid of half of it then she needs the yeast infection med also to cure the rest. do u think that could be possible also? she may have an outside yeast infection but not one inside from poo or mabe a bacterial infection. do u use apple cider vinager in their water? it would help with bacterial if it maybe that.

 

[Katy]

I don't know what to tell you to do other than the ointment and watching her diet....I think I remember from your original post that you said her butt was pretty dirty and matted? That makes me think her butt is "burned" from whatever didn't agree with her digestive tract.

 

[Cheryl]

Quote:

I realize the topic isn't funny, but what a great description!

 

[Rocket Raley]

11 out of my 12 buff hens look like they need to put pants on. My DH says they are biker chicks cause they look like they are wearing chaps with nothing underneath

Anyway, none of my banty girls look like that.
My crew are feather pickers, I've seen them do it. There is never a feather lying around.

After reading some other post on this,
I started giving them cat food in addtion to their layer feed everyday for a month now plus, as soon as I let them out, the first place they go is the dog bowl and eat up all of her food.

I have seen no change in their behavior.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

My chickens will pluck the feathers of my hens butts once in a while and make them bleed. I think they do it when they know one is ill. I move the hen out for awhile until she grows her feathers back and then I move them back in.