What's wrong with her bottom?

[Tracydr]

Why can't you blow dry after washing, keep in the house for a brief time? Use a good flea shampoo and Adams flea spray with growth inhibitor.
Lice treatment must be repeated in ten days to get eggs but I think the growth inhibitor might be good enough that you won't need to repeat. You will need to treat coop and other girls though, otherwise it's an endless cycle.

 

[real_redhead]

I saw Manna Pro

Poultry Protector at TSC and was wondering if this would be better than dusting with Sevin? Or what about DE? What's the best choice for treating lice? It was nice today (in the 60's) maybe I can try washing them tomorrow. I will be doing a good cleaning of the coop as well. When I dust the girls I also always dust the coop and nesting boxes too.

 

[Tracydr]

The DE is a great preventative, I put It in their sandbox. It may or may not take care of an active infestation. You'll need to read the active ingredients on poultry protector. Have no idea what's in in but do know that sevin will work. My favorite is Adam's Flea and tick spray with insect growth regulator plus dusting the coop with a pyrethrin dust with insect growth regulator, if you can find it, usually at a pet store. But, most chicken people will use sevin.
I keep my coop dusted with DE at all times. It even killed a terrible ant infestation I had so I do know it works better than most people give it credit.

 

[Sakmeht]

Check out this thread - lots of people seem to have hens with this problem. Maybe an internal layer?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=120841

 

[GoldDogsMom]

I have a couple of girls with bare bums...no bugs...the dominate hens were plucking them! They top hens would stand under the lower pecking order hens on the roosts and pick at them til they got down!

 

[real_redhead]

Quote:
Wow, glad I am not the only one having this problem. She seems to be doing better and it looks like the feathers are trying to grow back. I checked her yesterday and found no lice or eggs, still has a problem with some poop stuck to the few feathers that are there, tried cleaning as best I could. She acts normal, comes running for treats, eating ok, isn;t sleeping on the roost though. She sleeps on the floor of the coop. I thought maybe she was too fat to get on the roost then my 9 yr old reminded me that she can get into the back door of the coop and it is a higher jump than the roost. Hopefully she is getting better!

 

[GoldDogsMom]

If she's sleeping on the floor and not on the roost with the others it sounds like she is the bottom of the pecking order...If she is being pecked/plucked by the others just watch that they don't break the skin and draw blood, that could lead to a serious problem and she would need to be seperated to heal.

Not trying to scare you, just caution...my "low" girls were plucked until their bums were bare but never enough to break the skin

 

[mama dixie]

hello just reading this and could she use rooster booster, it is spendy but has been a life saver for me at times. I am not sure so I just wanted to throw it out there. it is the no more peck rooster booster.

 

[real_redhead]

Thanks for the feedback but she isn't the lowest in the pecking order, no one bothers her (they all, except for one, pick on my EE, poor thing she sleeps in the nexting box a little worried now that is't getting cold, hoping she will be ok by herself). Tonight when I locked the coop door the bare bottom one was on the roost!! Also think she is grwoing some feathers back, her bottom didn't look as bad. Haven't seen anymore lice...maybe they are gone and she is clearing up. Will keep everyone posted.

 

[Katydid2011]

I have a pullet in the same condition. I was puzzled because she didn't have a pasty bottom prior, I couldn't find any critters on her, and I didn't see her being picked on at first. After careful observation, I noticed that a few of the other hens would follow her around and pull out a feather or two, not aggressively, just... casually. I have her separated for now and the feathers are growing back. She's the only one out of a flock of 30, not the youngest or the smallest either. Go figure.