Scaly, scabby bottom - what is this?

[jules6728]

I was out of town for a week and came home to find one of our hens with this issue on her bottom. She is acting completely normal, eating, pecking around, roosting, visit me on the front porch for treats, etc. I read through the forum to try to find this exact issue, but didn't find what I thought was the same issue - unless this is a terrible case of pecking from other hens? Her deeply hued feathers are also losing color and turning into more of a brown, instead of their usual black/emerald hue.

I am sick with worry that she is in pain and want to help her heal and be comfortable. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you in advance for your insight and help.

 

[little_chick_homestead]

Separate her from the flock. I don't think she has Ascites but a bad case of mites.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is the bare scabbed area below her vent? It looks like she has an enlarged lower abdomen, possibly from fluid or fat, and sometimes from internal laying or salpingitis. The other hens probably pecked her feathers out and caused the scab. I would use some BluKote Spray on the area to disguise the red, or some bad tasting pine tar, either of which you may find at most feed stores. Ascites or water belly is a common illness that can be a result of liver disease or heart failure, and can be related to reproductive disorders. How is she doing otherwise?

 

[Wezdin]

It looks like her vent got pecked up pretty bad but is healing up. That skin is very red for a hen, i would check thoroughly for mites and lice. Is the scabbed up part her vent?

 

[chickens really]

In my personal experience is blue-kote doesn't work. Lather her butt in Vaseline. Chickens hate that.

 

[little_chick_homestead]

In my personal experience is blue-kote doesn't work. Lather her butt in Vaseline. Chickens hate that.

Vaseline is much better, because unlike blue kote, this stuff stays on better and chickens won't eat it off....

 

[Eggcessive]

It is always good to look them over for lice and mites under the bent, but her bottom looks enlarged to me. I have had a couple of Marans who had very enlarged bottoms from internal laying. You can compare her bottom to the other hens. Sometimes we don’t know what is in there until a necropsy is done after death. I have found large fat deposits, yellow ascites fluid, and egg yolk peritonitis. Several of my hens lived a couple of more years with the big bottoms.