Ongoing feather loss! Can't figure it out!

[glloyd203]

I agree, it sounds like a space issue. Do you have any drakes or are the ducks all female. Drakes in the pen with hens could also be a serious problem. Personally, if the cockerel/rooster is causing them to have bare backs, I would remove him rather than individual hens. Reintegration can be an issue if you remove a hen. Less so with a rooster and the whole flock will feel the benefit of the rooster being removed rather than just one hen.

My other concern is their feed..... what does the organic layer look like? Is it a pellet or crumble or does it look like cracked mixed grains with some fines. If the latter, the problem may be that the birds are picking out their favourite bits usually the high carbohydrate components like corn and wheat and leaving the less attractive but higher protein pulses. They tend to bill out such feeds onto the ground to get to the bits they prefer and the fines which contain the important trace minerals and vitamins and essential amino acids often get wasted. You are also feeding scratch with increases their carbohydrates intake but as a result dilutes their protein intake further. I would put them on a pelleted feed if their current feed is not and cut the scratch from their diet and give them fruit and veg and meal worms for treats. A high carbohydrate diet can lead to quite serious health issues and that swollen inflamed abdomen could be one of them. That girl could do with that sore cleaning up and antibiotic or antiseptic ointment applying. If that continues to get pecked, she could rupture. I'm thinking there may be a build up of fluid in her abdomen (ascites) causing the swelling.

We have three drakes and two female ducks... why are drakes with the hens a serious problem? I have considered getting rid of my rooster but I worry that it would be impossible to re-home him without him ending up as someone's dinner I worry that the girls look to him as their protector since they were all raised together and it would be hard for them to lose him. But maybe that's just me being silly? I'm not sure how they feel about things like that.

Their feed is in pellet form, it's a non-GMO layer that I believe it 16% protein. I didn't know that about the scratch feed! Thank you. They are obsessed with meal worms so I can make that their number one treat and those are high in protein right? Oh no, my poor hen! Will antiseptic ointment bring down the swelling? Any product in particular you would recommend? Thank you sooo much for the help!!!!!!!

 

[glloyd203]

Since you're not seeing many feathers on the ground, that means they are eating them due to the lack of sufficient protein in their diet in combination with the lack of enough space.
It sounds like you have a special project coming up...expanding your coop and run. Been there, done that lol.
This might help get their attention in the meantime and slow or stop feather picking:
Get a head of cabbage or two and hang them in the pen. Drive a nail into the core with clothesline tied to the head of the nail and tie off the other end of the clothesline and let it hang. The birds will peck at the cabbage all day and relieve boredom cutting back on picking. Remember, this is just a temporary fix.

Thank you! This is so helpful. I hung a cabbage for them yesterday and they loved it! Definitely need to do that more often. Also I have a plan in the works to expand their space and maybe create some protected pathways around the yard so they can have some fun and finally get to forage outside of their run. Thanks again!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again. As regards the drakes being kept with the hens, the problem is that they have penises and sometimes quite significant ones whereas roosters do not. Chickens can be injured by penetrative sex because they are not anatomically designed for it and drakes with insufficient female ducks will almost certainly try to mate with the hens. 3 drakes to just 2 female ducks is a bad situation for the female ducks too as they can get competitively overbred my the males and sometimes end up being drowned by them, particularly if the drakes are all the same age and there is no dominant senior one to keep them in check.

Sadly there is not a happy ever after home for the vast majority of male poultry. It is the harsh reality of poultry keeping. Your guy has already had a longer and happier life than the vast majority of chicken dinners. Most people don't ask too many questions when they rehome a rooster, so that they can kid themselves that he may be living a happy existence somewhere.

The chicken with the abdominal swelling may benefit from being drained if it is Ascites and it continues to increase, but sometimes the body is able to reabsorb it. Antiseptic or antibiotic ointment will prevent the sore getting infected. As the weather gets warmer there is a risk of fly strike which is pretty horrible as they start to get eaten alive by maggots, so you really need to keep that clean and help it heal soon.

 

[Kiki]

I hope I put this in the right section; I'm hoping it's not a disease
I am sooo worried about my girls! I made a post a couple months ago because a couple of my hens have feather loss on their backs, and one is even completely bare on her back between her wings. People were really helpful and mentioned that they are probably bullying each other, and suggested the aprons, which I got. Unfortunately they haven't worked at all and their feathers don't seem to be growing back. Someone suggested that they could have a protein deficiency and that's why they're pecking each other, but their skin doesn't ever seem to be broken or bleeding so I don't think that's it. One of them now has additional feather loss on her butt/underbelly area and it looks a little swollen too. I am so worried about them. A third hen is starting to lose feathers on her back as well. Other than this they seem to be behaving normally. We have a rooster and ducks in the run with them as well, I've never seen the ducks bother the hens though they fight with the rooster sometimes. They eat a non-GMO layer feed which I believe is 16% protein, I was told not to go higher than that since the ducks share it. They are supplemented grit and oyster shell and for treats they eat scratch feed, mealworms, leaves/weeds, and occasionally other treats like watermelon. I have seen them peck at each other a few times but it never seems very brutal or violent, just normal chicken rudeness. I hope someone can help with this! I really hope they aren't sick!

View attachment 1341018 View attachment 1341017 View attachment 1341020 View attachment 1341019

Can you zoom in on this part of this picture?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Can you zoom in on this part of this picture?
View attachment 1344112

Good catch! Looks like mite debris.
Hate those buggers!!

 

[Kiki]

Martin's PERMETHRIN spray

• Kiki
• Mar 22, 2018
• 6
• flies lice mites permethrin

Martin's Horse & Stable Permethrin Spray

• Kiki
• Mar 22, 2018
• flies lice mites permethrin

Permethrin

 

[glloyd203]

Hi again. As regards the drakes being kept with the hens, the problem is that they have penises and sometimes quite significant ones whereas roosters do not. Chickens can be injured by penetrative sex because they are not anatomically designed for it and drakes with insufficient female ducks will almost certainly try to mate with the hens. 3 drakes to just 2 female ducks is a bad situation for the female ducks too as they can get competitively overbred my the males and sometimes end up being drowned by them, particularly if the drakes are all the same age and there is no dominant senior one to keep them in check.

Sadly there is not a happy ever after home for the vast majority of male poultry. It is the harsh reality of poultry keeping. Your guy has already had a longer and happier life than the vast majority of chicken dinners. Most people don't ask too many questions when they rehome a rooster, so that they can kid themselves that he may be living a happy existence somewhere.

The chicken with the abdominal swelling may benefit from being drained if it is Ascites and it continues to increase, but sometimes the body is able to reabsorb it. Antiseptic or antibiotic ointment will prevent the sore getting infected. As the weather gets warmer there is a risk of fly strike which is pretty horrible as they start to get eaten alive by maggots, so you really need to keep that clean and help it heal soon.

Oh God that's terrifying! How can I find out if it's Ascites, and how would I drain it? Should I find an avian vet? The weird thing is, when I feel my other hens in the same spot, their bums feel similar, but theirs are normal and healthy and covered in feathers. I can't tell if hers is actually that much bigger or if it just looks so weird because it's missing its feathers....

 

[rebrascora]

If it doesn't feel different from the others then it most likely isn't Ascites (it is far better to assess these things by feel than look... cupping your hand between their legs whilst they are on the roost at night is a good way to check these things) but it could be that they are all carrying a bit too much fat. How much scratch have you been feeding them? Their normal layer pellet sounds fine, but if you have been overly generous with the scratch or corn or bread or other carbs over a period of time, that can result in thick fatty deposits around the abdomen and vent. I don't think there is any cause to incur a veterinary bill at this stage but obviously I am only judging that by a photo on my computer.
As regards dried meal worms, I have very recently been reading that they are banned from feeding to poultry here in the UK due to concerns about the risk of them introducing disease. Apparently the vast majority of dried meal worms are produced in China and fed on offal and other animal waste products and there is a risk that pathogens could be transmitted via their ingestion to poultry. So the meal worms are maybe not the healthy snack we have all been considering them to be. Free range is probably the biggest treat you can give them and it will help them burn off any fatty deposits but like everything, it too comes with a risk... predation. Only you can decide which risks to take on their behalf .... we all face these challenges, have made most of the same mistakes and find different ways to manage the risks, depending on our circumstances. Gaining knowledge is the best way to help you make the best decisions and BYC has been a fantastic resource in my education about poultry over the past few years.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

If it doesn't feel different from the others then it most likely isn't Ascites (it is far better to assess these things by feel than look... cupping your hand between their legs whilst they are on the roost at night is a good way to check these things) but it could be that they are all carrying a bit too much fat. How much scratch have you been feeding them? Their normal layer pellet sounds fine, but if you have been overly generous with the scratch or corn or bread or other carbs over a period of time, that can result in thick fatty deposits around the abdomen and vent. I don't think there is any cause to incur a veterinary bill at this stage but obviously I am only judging that by a photo on my computer.
As regards dried meal worms, I have very recently been reading that they are banned from feeding to poultry here in the UK due to concerns about the risk of them introducing disease. Apparently the vast majority of dried meal worms are produced in China and fed on offal and other animal waste products and there is a risk that pathogens could be transmitted via their ingestion to poultry. So the meal worms are maybe not the healthy snack we have all been considering them to be. Free range is probably the biggest treat you can give them and it will help them burn off any fatty deposits but like everything, it too comes with a risk... predation. Only you can decide which risks to take on their behalf .... we all face these challenges, have made most of the same mistakes and find different ways to manage the risks, depending on our circumstances. Gaining knowledge is the best way to help you make the best decisions and BYC has been a fantastic resource in my education about poultry over the past few years.

Well, isn't that interesting. I never even thought to look where the mealworms came from.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@glloyd203 Maybe try a different feed? One with more protein in it? I have been feeding all flock raiser by purina. It has 20% protein. I also offer oyster/egg shell and grit in two separate containers on the side. I switched about a month ago.
My one girl who is a brahma doesnt roost and sleeps in the nest box due to their coop being a prefab. Her bottom looks similar.
I also made a busy bottle (water bottle with holes poked in and added feed to it) so that they had something else to do in case it is feather picking. But, on mine she is either rubbing it off or picking herself.
I have a hanging suet feeder that I fill with veggie scraps too.
She is the only one with a featherless bottom, so I think it is because she isn't roosting.
We are in the middle of building a new coop. So, I hope this helps the problem.
It is my understanding that the feathers will not grow back until molt.
Also, have you tried Epsom salt baths at least for her to sit her bum in? How about some blue kote or poultry aid to help sooth?