Vent gleet???

[Nashelle]

Can you post some pictures of your birds so we can see what's going on with them? How old are they? Do they spend all their time in the two runs and the coop?

I don't have pics at the moment but their bottoms look just like the picture at the start of this thread. The runs are connected and they spend all day outside even though their coop is open. There are a couple of bushes in the run and things to climb on or hide behind

 

[Nashelle]

This is a 2 year old thread. First thing you need to do is to cover the skin with Blu-Kote, so it doesn't attract more attacking. What do you feed them? Low protein feed could cause feather picking. Do you see any mites or lice on them? These could cause feather loss too.

They have layers pellets, corn, mash and greens. I will get a closer look for lice. They seem happy and they're very alert so that is a good thing

 

[TillyPeeps]

They have layers pellets, corn, mash and greens. I will get a closer look for lice. They seem happy and they're very alert so that is a good thing

The protein level is too low. Layer feed is already low in protein. Adding the other treats lower protein level even more. If possible, switch to a high protein layer feed or all flock feed with oyster shell on side. Limit the treats to no more than 5% of what they eat daily.

 

[Nashelle]

Thank you. I kind of had the responsibility of the hens thrust upon me so I'm having to quickly research everything.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

Thank you. I kind of had the responsibility of the hens thrust upon me so I'm having to quickly research everything.

Everything will be okay, you're in the right spot for help!

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

Upload some pictures if possible.

 

[Nashelle]

Upload some pictures if ppossi

Upload some pictures if possible.

Not easy to take pics when the chooks are so nosey not sure if you can actually see the bald patches very clearly. I have an antiseptic and have sprayed one chick -again not easy

 

[coach723]

From what I can see, I would guess it's feather picking. May be happening on the roosts at roosting time. Do some observing to see if you can figure it out. Sometimes reworking your roosting layout, or adding roosts, changing spacing, etc can help. Over crowding and boredom are often contribuing factors when feather picking is going on.

 

[Nashelle]

From what I can see, I would guess it's feather picking. May be happening on the roosts at roosting time. Do some observing to see if you can figure it out. Sometimes reworking your roosting layout, or adding roosts, changing spacing, etc can help. Over crowding and boredom are often contribuing factors when feather picking is going on.

Thanks for replying. I'm a bit perplexed to when it's happening. The birds all huddle together on the roost. They have bushes in the run and things to climb on and under. There are five hens and a rooster - would it help if there were more?

 

[coach723]

The rooster is likely causing the damage to the backs, happens when he mounts. 5 hens to one rooster is pretty low, about 10 is generally a better number to help prevent over mounting and that kind of damage. But even then, sometimes more submissive birds will get mounted more and you may still see some rooster damage. The bare butts I still think is feather picking. There may be a single bird doing it, usually the most pristine bird is suspect.