topical treatment for irritated skin?

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Is there a topical medication/cream that can be safely used on a chicken to relieve skin irritation and promote healing? Our rooster's favorite hen has lost all the feathers on her back and the saddle apron is not helping. There are no open wounds but the skin looks bright pink, almost red. Could this be sunburn? My husband worries that chickens' skin might be particularly sensitive to the sun because it is meant to be covered with feathers, not exposed to UV rays.

 

[Henry672]

I am not an expert at all so I am curious to see what others will say.
however here's my two cents,
I have used Peck no more in situations where my chickens are down to skin.
(Don't try to put on heads you will where it!)

Peck no more is a purple color it will definitely stop others from pecking on it due to the fact that chickens are attracted to red. It can be found at tractor supply.

I don't know if chickens can get sunburned but I'm guessing they could in that case the chicken saddle may help because it would block the Sun.

Like I said I am no expert. Could the han also be molting? I believe most molt late summer early fall.
If that is the case I would recommend a feed that is considered feather fixer most of them have calcium and is okay for entire flock.

I hope she gets better. Could you try and post a few pictures of her?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Have you checked for mites/lice? A picture would help, probably from over zealous Roo. Do you keep the apron on all the time, or are you removing at times? It should protect the exposed skin from sunburn. You could apply some coconut oil on the skin or bag balm then the apron.

 

[Henry672]

Have you checked for mites/lice? A picture would help, probably from over zealous Roo. Do you keep the apron on all the time, or are you removing at times? It should protect the exposed skin from sunburn. You could apply some coconut oil on the skin or bag balm then the apron.

Really good point about checking for lice or mites

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

I will post a pic tomorrow. We're pretty sure it's from the rooster because: A) This hen gets mounted a lot more frequently than the others, B) The feather loss started gradually, and C) None of the other hens have feather loss this bad.

She does not appear to be losing any more feathers b/c at this point the rooster's claws are on her bare skin when he mounts her.

The apron is off currently (she got it off about a week ago and we haven't put it back) but normally it's on full-time and had been for several months prior to when she slipped out of it. We plan to put it back on tonight. If nothing else, it should provide some protection from the sun.

I'll try coconut oil, good idea! Will look into bag balm, never heard of it.

Peck No More sounds a lot like Blu-Kote; we have some of that but I think it's pretty drying and her skin is already very dry. The other chickens are not pecking at her back so that's not a concern.

We're also going to try to trim our rooster's toenails per someone's recommendation in another thread.