Peahen losing feathers on stomach

[NatureGirl74]

My peahen, Penny, has a bald spot on her stomach. Is it possible that it was caused by a fight with one of my cockerels? Is it normal for her to have a bald spot there? The male doesn't have it.

 

[KsKingBee]

Has she been setting a nest?

 

[NatureGirl74]

Has she been setting a nest?

For the first clutch she laid them in a dog house. The second the made a nest, but laid most eggs around the pen. That was 2 months ago. She laid her third clutch in the nest. I was going to let her keep the eggs, but after several weeks she still wasn't sitting on them so I put them in the incubator. She recently dug her nest out again, but there's no eggs.

 

[KsKingBee]

There are a couple of reasons a hen will lose the breast feathers, one is when they set a nest they will pull the feathers to make good contact with the eggs keeping them moist and warm. Another is when they need to cool they will dig a hole in cool dirt. The moist soil and heat can cause the skin to itch and she may be itching and pull feathers. She could also have parasites and may be pulling feathers to get to the lice.

It may be a good idea to put some Ivermec pour-on on her. Use 0.40ml placed directly on the skin divided up in a few places, we like to put it between the shoulders, above the vent, and under the wings.

 

[NatureGirl74]

There are a couple of reasons a hen will lose the breast feathers, one is when they set a nest they will pull the feathers to make good contact with the eggs keeping them moist and warm. Another is when they need to cool they will dig a hole in cool dirt. The moist soil and heat can cause the skin to itch and she may be itching and pull feathers. She could also have parasites and may be pulling feathers to get to the lice.

It may be a good idea to put some Ivermec pour-on on her. Use 0.40ml placed directly on the skin divided up in a few places, we like to put it between the shoulders, above the vent, and under the wings.

Thanks for helping. The problem is that she is really skiddish. She won't let me get within 5 feet unless I have food. Getting a picture was really hard. How would I catch her without stressing her too much and upsetting the male?

 

[NatureGirl74]

@KsKingBee
I just noticed that she also has diarrhea. She has been getting fruits and vegetables the past few days since we had a lot of them. It's also been really hot. Is this normal for her?

 

[KsKingBee]

Has she been dewormed lately?

 

[NatureGirl74]

@KsKingBee
No, what should I use? All I have is cat and dog dewormer. None of the other birds have diarrhea. Could it be that it's been 110 degrees everyday this week? I don't know how to catch her.

 

[KsKingBee]

It very well could be the heat but if you have not been deworming them it is a really good idea to do it now. Try giving both of your peas small pieces of bread or something you can soak the medication in and start training them to eat it. Once you can get them to eat the treat then buy some Safeguard for Goats at the farm store and soak 2ml in the bread for the hen and 3ml for the cock. Give it to them for five days in a row, skip ten days and do it again for another five days. This should kill all types of worms and if you do this twice per year they will be much healthier. You can also use dog or cat food or even berries.

 

[NatureGirl74]

It very well could be the heat but if you have not been deworming them it is a really good idea to do it now. Try giving both of your peas small pieces of bread or something you can soak the medication in and start training them to eat it. Once you can get them to eat the treat then buy some Safeguard for Goats at the farm store and soak 2ml in the bread for the hen and 3ml for the cock. Give it to them for five days in a row, skip ten days and do it again for another five days. This should kill all types of worms and if you do this twice per year they will be much healthier. You can also use dog or cat food or even berries.

Thanks, they love bread and mulberries