Why is my chicken balding by her vent?

[Ebullock]

Just got back from a weeks vacation and found all my Leghorns to have this. Missing hair distal to their vents. Only noticeable when they bend over to forage. Still laying and acting fine today. Checked and saw no mites or lice., but this is my first flock. no discharge. Any ideas?

 

[nuthatched]

She couldve getting picked by the others

 

[Ebullock]

She couldve getting picked by the others

Do you just let it go and it gets better or do you have to find the culprit?

 

[nuthatched]

Do you just let it go and it gets better or do you have to find the culprit?

Finding the culprit/s and diagnosing why they're doing it is best.
Is their one or a few without the balding?
What's their diet?
Space? For how many birds?

 

[Ebullock]

Any tips on how to find the culprit? I have several birds missing feathers. And a few not. I suspected a bully a few weeks ago and I watched for a while and never seem to catch them in action.

 

[NewChickenmama06]

View attachment 3895058Just got back from a weeks vacation and found all my Leghorns to have this. Missing hair distal to their vents. Only noticeable when they bend over to forage. Still laying and acting fine today. Checked and saw no mites or lice., but this is my first flock. no discharge. Any ideas?

I have 2 Leghorn chicken's (had 4 at one time) and they all have no butt fluff. Its just my Leghorns that look like this, all other breed are normal. They are totally healthy otherwise the bald bottoms.

 

[NewChickenmama06]

Welcome to the flock btw!

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Do you have a rooster? They can be aggressive with breeding and making the area around the vent bald, but you would also see the back bald if that was the case. If you do not have a rooster, it could very well be hens feather-picking. What kind of structures do you have your chickens in? They could be bored and have nothing else to do.

 

[Ebullock]

They have a big run and get out daily. Built for 14 chickens but only have 10 currently. I have different branches to roost on. A separate ladder to climb and usually put out a treat block once every few weeks if I know they aren’t getting out because we are gone or something. They have been good for 1.5 year. Now they are pecking at each other so trying to figure out why

 

[Newchickmom2023]

Do you have a rooster? They can be aggressive with breeding and making the area around the vent bald, but you would also see the back bald if that was the case. If you do not have a rooster, it could very well be hens feather-picking. What kind of structures do you have your chickens in? They could be bored and have nothing else to do.

Follow up question: I have at least one hen with bald backside. I had a couple getting bald backs also, and I put the "saddles" on them. The offending rooster has been dispatched for aggressiveness to humans, and I removed the saddles. Most of the bald backs are healing, but one is still looking rough across a broad part of her back. It's almost as though the saddle may have made it worse. Should I be treating her with anything? I'm very concerned as I have a "teenager" rooster, that is starting to try mounting some of the hens, and he's pretty rough. I really was hoping she'd heal before he got started. My hen to roo ratio is a little low. I was at 5 to 1, I now have 7 to 1 (two pullets the same age as the rooster were hatched at the same time)