Update after treatment - Please help diagnose these sores on my hens back

[wigglesme]

My girl developed these sores a few months ago. At first I thought another bird was pulling out her feathers but now I think they are too symmetrical to be that. Any advice on what it is and how to treat are most welcome.

***I've been using the blu kote on the bald spots for about 6 days now. It's difficult to see if anything has started to grow yet but I don't think anything is coming in. She definitely does not enjoy getting sprayed. Her eggs continue to be soft. I've added yogurt and apple cider vinegar to her diet, well all of the birds' diet and I gave them tuna fish. Since that is expensive is cat food a cheaper alternative for getting them to eat more protein? I need to break the cycle of her broken eggs because it's attracting bugs and sticking to the belly of my broody hen. It seems I have a vicious cycle going on here. I also bough the vitamins that were recommended but once I put them in the water dispenser the birds hardly drank the water. Is this common with treated water? I feel like I am in over my head. My only saving grace is I checked all the girls and no one has any mites or lice and their feathers look clean.***
Thanks again for any input or advice you may have.

 

[wigglesme]

Another image of the sores

 

[CluckerCottage]

maybe a protein/vitamin deficiency.
does she have mites or lice?
I would definitely put blu-kote on those spots because the other birds will peck her, if they have not done so already.
do you have a roo?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

maybe a protein/vitamin deficiency.
does she have mites or lice?
I would definitely put blu-kote on those spots because the other birds will peck her, if they have not done so already.
do you have a roo?

Good questions.
A Rooster can cause symmetrical wear like that.
Checking for lice/mites is always a good idea.

 

[wigglesme]

No rooste, lice or mites. Th coop is pretty clean and the birds have a large enclosure plus access to a roped off portion of my yard so I don't think space is an issue. I believe she is the 2nd in command out of 5 birds. Also, she has been laying soft shelled eggs for two weks now. The sores appeared aound March. She is acting normal but I hate to think she is in any pain or discomfort.

 

[wigglesme]

Here is a picture of their home. Sorry for the typos. My keypad is rotten. Thanks for the input. I will definitely invest in the blu-kote

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No rooste, lice or mites. Th coop is pretty clean and the birds have a large enclosure plus access to a roped off portion of my yard so I don't think space is an issue. I believe she is the 2nd in command out of 5 birds. Also, she has been laying soft shelled eggs for two weks now. The sores appeared aound March. She is acting normal but I hate to think she is in any pain or discomfort.

She may be picking at herself, either she has some sort of irritation, others are plucking or she may be eating her feathers. You may want to up her protein either by a commercial all flock/flock raiser feed, feather fixer or give her protein by feeding eggs, tuna, mackerel or meat.
She may also need some extra vitamins. Soft shell eggs can be caused by nutritional deficiency (some hens don't always absorb everything they need even if they have very good nutrition available) so look for something with calcium and vitamins E, B12 and D as well as phosphorous and selenium. B12 may help with feather growth as well.

Feather mites could be a possibility-these cannot be seen, they live in the feather, but these look broken, so I suspect it's picking either by her or someone else. Sometimes you may not see the feather picking during the day especially if she is high in the pecking order, but while roosting, her "underlings" could be taking advantage and doing some plucking. With it being so symmetrical, she most like is doing it to herself.

Common causes of shell and egg defects:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems
https://poultrykeeper.com/egg-problems/soft-thin-or-missing-egg-shells/

Vitamins food sources/products and information:
http://www.tillysnest.com/2014/03/vitamin-deficiencies-in-backyard-chicks-html/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/3508/importance-of-vitamins-in-poultry-production/

Feather Mites:
https://chickenwired.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/parasites-of-poultry/

 

[wigglesme]

Thank you so much. I just ordered a few things online and should have them by the weekend. I really appreciate it!

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

I hope she recovers well!
Always scary when something like this happens.

 

[wigglesme]

Thanks so much. I'm anxious to get the supplies and fix her up. She's a good girl and I want her to be healthy again.