Pullet missing feathers around vent?

[silkensunlight]

Hi everyone. I have a flock of RSL pullets (about 24 weeks old). Yesterday I noticed one pullet paying particular attention to anothers rear end. I didn't think too much of it but today her feathers seem quite dirty in that area. I just brought her in to check her and she's missing most of the feathers in that area. The ones that are there are in a kind of clump in one area. I couldn't see any lice or mites or any other kind of bugs or worms. She seems a little light as well. Is there something else I should look for. Otherwise she seems healthy and happy, eating and drinking and socializing with everyone else. Her comb and wattles are bright red but her ear lobes are white. Not sure if that means anything since she's still pretty young. Any ideas about what might be causing this? Everyone else in the flock has great feathering. Thanks for any info.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

She could have mites. You need to check her at night with a flashlight because the mites don't live on the birds, but come out to feed on them while they're roosting. Look carefully for little creepy crawlies after dark.

If mites are the problem, there's lots of info about treatment. If not mites, keep looking for other symptoms. Also, adding some vitamins to her water (like Save-a-chick) might perk her up. Be sure the vitamins do not have added iron.

About earlobes, some chickens have white, some have red, I think there can even be other colors! Perfectly normal to have white.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sorry, train of thought interrupted by a phone call.

Back to the earlobes- Do all the other RSLs have red lobes? Did the pullet in question suddenly develop white lobes that had been red? If so, this could be some type of anemia or circulatory problem.

Did you check the vent of some others for comparison? The area immediately around the vent is not feathered, which is why it's a good place to check for mites on the bare skin. The skin should be smooth and healthy looking, not red or swollen.

Sometimes a particular treat (like fruit) can give them loose/runny stools that may soil the feathers. Could it be that?

You won't see worms in the poop unless it's an extremely advanced case.

Some other things to look for:
You could also check to see that her poops look normal. Not consistently runny or bloody. Also check to see that her crop is empty of food first thing in the morning before feeding. A normal healthy crop will empty overnight, hence all that poop under the roosts! This can help rule out some digestive problems.

I'm certainly not an expert, but have a pullet acting a bit off and have been researching quite a bit lately. Hope this helps!

 

[silkensunlight]

Thanks for your replies. The skin around her vent looks healthy and clean, not red or swollen or anything. I'll wait till tonight to look for mites while they are roosting. The ear lobe thing I noticed when I first got them a few weeks ago. I got 24 RSL pullets and there was a couple that had white ear lobes. The others have all turned red or are well on their way to red except this one. Hers are still white as snow. They don't change color or anything, just white. At first I thought I was gonna get white eggs out of her! LOL. No white eggs yet but I'm not sure they were all the same age when I got them. I ordered them from the local food mill, and some of them aren't laying yet. Maybe she is just one of the younger ones? They have been getting a healthy dose of grenns and garden cast offs so maybe that accounts for the poopy feathers. Thanks for the info!