One of my Rhode Island Red Has large bare spot picked on her back

Hudson · Dec 27, 2010

I have 10 hens and 1 rooster in a 8'x8' coop. Lately I have noticed that one of my hens has a bare spot down to her skin about the area of a tennis ball. I have read on these forums about covering her back with tape. I have also thought about seperating her but have nowhere I can put her. She seems to stay in one of the nesting boxes alot so I have put food in there for her and she is happily eating. Today when she did get down I saw my only rooster attempt to mount her so I suspect that it is him and not other hens pecking at her. I live in Georgia where the coldest it has been getting is 21 degrees at night. I put extra bedding in the nesting box to hopefully keep her warm. The only way that I can seperate her totally would be to put her in a dog crate in my garage. Th garage is warmer than the coop but I wonder what the isolation would do to her, also what the effects would be when I eventually return her to the flock. I don't want to get rid of the rooster unless I have to since he does seem to protect his hens and seems to take that seriously. If I do seperate her roughly what amount of time does it take for her feathers to grow back. My chickens are approaching 2 years old (in April) and this is the first time that that this has happended. I have seen bare spots in the past but not to this extent and also not in the winter. Thanks for any info! Tape or isolation???
Jon in Atlanta

PunkinPeep · Dec 27, 2010

Welcome to BYC.

It sounds to me like your girl is simply the rooster's favorite girl. I would not isolate her unless she is badly injured. I would get or make her an apron/saddle to cover the area. There are folks here on BYC who make them to sell, and there are several patterns you can find online by googling. I am working on taking care of the same thing for a couple of my girls. They're apparently very lovable.

FireTigeris · Dec 27, 2010

Quote:Quoted for truth.

CMV · Dec 27, 2010

Between my rough roo and a recent feather picking mania in one of my hens I have several girls with bare spots. I made some of the no-sew fleece saddles that can be found here. I've been using them for a while on the roo's favorite girls, but I made some new ones for the bare spots on the others. They are great. They can be a little tricky to get the fit right on the first time, but after having made several at this point I am practically a pro. I'd go that route or the tape route before I'd separate because of the challenges of re-integration after separation.

Link to saddle patterns:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4031-Patterns

Good luck.

tripleerancher · Dec 27, 2010

I have the same problem, but do not have a rooster. Could another hen be pecking on one of my girls. In addition to the bald spot on her back directly behind her tail, she has a bald spot on her bottom. Any suggestions?

pontoosuc · Dec 27, 2010

I started with 3 buttercups, now 2 of the dominiques. no rooster. 16 hens.

tripleerancher · Dec 27, 2010

I've got a similar size menagerie (including the patient husband), but have 8 Tennesee Walkers that rarely are ridden, plus two donkeys and cows including pet longhorns. Love all my pets!

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