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- #31
Okie dokie. Here I am again, mainly because this bit of info has been ringing louder and louder in the back of my mind.A hen with a swollen butt due to reproductive infection, by the time it's at a crucial stage, usually show a lot of bare skin.
My big girl, Butter, is growing bigger. She still eats and drinks and “acts” fine, but is definitely slowing down. She waddles around with her bright red comb and even climbs into the nest boxes to “lay” her eggs.
Both of my older Buffs have red combs and wattles, which unfortunately attract the attention of Rusty, the roo. They do not like him nor to be mated. Period. I stop this behavior when I am outside, but I can’t be outside all the time. They usually stay away from him the majority of the day. They always have.
I truly believe when he treads Butter that it causes her pain. He is young and inexperienced and not as suave as he’ll hopefully be someday. However, he sometimes just continues to stand on her after he’s through. He must like the wide base. But I know this puts even more pressure on her big belly, not to mention the scabs that both the buffs have on their beautiful red combs from Rusty holding on to a reluctant hen.
So, the reason for my post is the bare skin issue. Yesterday I gave her a nasty booty bath, simply because she cannot drop her belly far enough for the poop to clear the feathers and avoid soiling them and the fact that it is sometimes yellow and runny. Anyway, I took a few pics of her very firm abdomen while I had a good chance. Her skin is extremely thin showing the veins underneath. She also had a sizable scab which I was able to flick off after the bath, but I still wonder how she was injured back there.
This pic is before I dried her. You can barely see a portion of the black scab.
This pic shows two good veins running vertically under the thin skin that is stretched taut over her innards. The cut and scratch marks left under the scabs I removed can also be seen.
I feel sorry for her.