Red Rum .... I mean ..... Red Bum

[darkbrahmamama]

No scabs. & I tried comparing her to multiple chickens this morning. She felt exactly the same as some, a little poofier as others. She's the only one with a red, feather-less bum out of 17 that are over a year old (two of them are roosters) & 9 that are 3 months old (1 a rooster). The only others that have any missing feathers are the few that are the boys favorite, & they're only missing some on the back of their heads &/or top of their wings where the boys put their feet.

I just put some blu-kote on her to see if that'll do anything. Being the only one with a red bum, I wonder if she might be doing it to herself?

 

[subhanalah]

I don't think she's doing it to herself.
Is there anyway you can bring her in to observe her?

I'm not sure what that stuff is that you use to prevent lice/mites, or what's in it.

Are you completely averse to dusting her or treating with ivermectin? I think just like people, some chickens taste better to bugs than others. Maybe she doesn't eat something that the other ones do that makes them less enticing for the bugs.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

They all just got dewormed at the end of last month. I deworm them every 6 months. The Ultra Shield EX is an equine fly spray with Permethrin, Pyrethrins, & Piperonyl Butoxide. I usually spray their stall & nesting boxes with that about 4 times a year. I use the poultry protector about once every other month, misting them in the process. Not opposed to dusting them, just don't want to over do it when this time of year they end up getting misted almost daily with the Ultra Shield EX because I put it on the horses as they're eating their grain, & the chickens swarm the horses at the same time to eat the grain that the horses spill. I have no problem dusting them, & keep a permethrin dust on hand ..... I just don't know how much is TOO much.

 

[subhanalah]

I wonder if maybe the bugs in your area have built up a resistance to the spray? Or maybe she doesn't get sprayed as much as the others daily?

 

[casportpony]

Ivermectin, if that's what you used as a dewormer, is an ineffective poultry wormer. Great for horses, cows, goats, etc, but doesn't work in poultry.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Sort of hard to put too much dust on them. Just grab her, dust her vent, under her wings and work it through her feathers with your fingers. Add more as needed.

-Kathy

 

[darkbrahmamama]

I've used the goat dewormer, starts with an s ....... safeguard? Should it be ok to put some permethrin dust in their dust bath area as well? I'll give bugs another shot ....... will see if it works. Usually I'm pretty OCD when it comes to bugs & worms ..... I even use fly spray on my horse & flea & tick treatment on my dogs year round ..... even when it was 20 below this past winter! The thought of bugs on my animals freak me out :-/

 

[7catlady]

Anyone have any ideas as to why my one hen has a red bum? She isn't egg bound. She lays about one egg every other day. Though, it is odd shaded, being a little longer & a little more pointy than the other eggs. I've put Vetericyn on it every day for about 2 weeks with no change. She's a little over a year old, & it's been like this for a few months. She free ranged during the day with the others on quite a few acres. Locked up every night. They get lay pellets & lay crumbles. For daily treats they get a mix of BOSS, sunflower meaties, & scratch mix every night to get them in. They'll get yogurt (plain), watermelon, grapes, tomatoes, mealworms, etc on occasion. They get sprayed with poultry protector & have a DE dust bath area. She's the only one like this ..... so if it were nutrition, bugs, etc I'd think the others would have it.

 

[7catlady]

I just read something about this but I can't remember where. It's caused by fly bites and sometimes gets maggots in it.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

We noticed it in early February, just about right after their winters molt, when it was still pretty cold out here in NEPA. There weren't any flies. I didn't think much of it then because they started molting in Novembr /December. A lot of them looked a little rough because of the molt. I had thought that she just hadn't gotten feathers back in that area. Then I thought egg bound. But she layed an egg. Then bugs, so I used the ultra shield to soak their stall & nesting boxes & treated her. Knew it wasn't worms since I just dewormed them in January. Then I thought maybe a fungus or bacteria & sprayed Vetericyn on her. After that I gave up for a while. Now, about 6 months after we noticed it, I'm here in hopes to try something I haven't yet.