chicken losing feathers around vent

When this happens, the rooster can easily pull the feathers out of the hens neck and back. You will notice when you add new chickens to your existing flock, there will also be some jostling for position in the pecking order, and as a result, some of your chickens will lose their feathers. She doesnt have mites. Feathers are 85% protein and molting changes the temporary dietary needs of chickens. It sounds to me like you have a bully in the coop who is plucking their feathers at night! You may be able to put a chicken jacket or saddle on your bird to protect her from sunburn and excessive picking from other chickens. Avoid changing the diet of your birds unless However, Im aware that others have successfully used DE for this Check the area (and also under the wings) after dark using a flashlight for any crawling insects on your chickens. Hi, we have recently moved to a property that came with 6 laying hens and a rooster. Not only can this cause some serious Have you seen the more dominant hen pecking at her? The other hen is fine. Even the rooster is loosing his tail feathers. (If any). When you have finished, dry the feet and generously apply VetRx remedy solution onto the feet, legs and comb if affected. You can also ensure and improve the gut health of your birds by adding apple cider vinegar (just a few tablespoons in a five-gallon waterer). At Tractor Supply they cost $12.99, but last quite a while. They otherwise seem happy, are laying okay, eating well, etc. Adding sea kelp or kelp meal to their diet. But you can help speed it up. Interestingly, when the bully returns to the pen, they get knocked down a peg or two by the other girls because the bully is considered new.. All egg I figured it would grow back soon, then when it didnt, I assumed the feathers would grow back when she went through a hard molt. she is a year old and she also stopped laying eggs. one Hen appears to be self mutilating by plucking her chest feathers and the eggs laying has pretty much stopped. I Want My Free Ebook On Egg Laying Chickens. I dont keep any roosters so its not that. How do I know if its a parasite or mounting or stress? Hi Lisa, Preening is yet another reason that your chickens might lose some feathers. I have had 3 hens die in the last 3 weeks. A healthy vent will be pink and moist. I have noticed slowly the egg production declining. They can spread infections and cause your chickens to lose scales on their legs. Personally I dont know as I havent used it for this yet. Im not sure if weather is a factor. I have one about 3 months missing feathers on her back between her wings too dont see signs of mites. Our blogs and articles are updated regularly with many different important topics on care, purchasing tips, fun facts, and more. She also was staying on her roosting bar all day and I had to bring her food and water. I have 5 hens, one of them is losing feathers around its neck area,I havent noticed any bullying etc, in fact they all get on fine, the hen is feeding and drinking well and still laying. A molt is a process where chickens gradually shed off their feathers to regrow new ones. To do this, I place them in a separate smaller pan for a couple of days. Hi Claire, Help. I always prefer to isolate the culprit instead. See no sign of that happening now. She stopped laying eggs in may. All was well (lots of eggs & happy Hens) until I got a new coop and moved them so I could 1. refurbish the old coop and 2. increase my flock. Inspect your chickens by pushing apart the feathers to look for the cause of the loss. New Member - Jamestown NY / Warren PA area - Help identifying Golden Comet Roos. All six of our hens are losing feathers, but it is the spring. If sohow many chickens per square foot? I would keep an eye over her the next few days and see if any other hens in the flock start dropping feathers or not. Keep her well fed and make sure to and also keep her water filled up with vitamins. None of my other chickens (8 total) peck her she is about twice the size of all the others so the lack of feathers isnt from continued pecking. Hi Vicki, We recently got rid of the rooster and that hen is getting picked on from the other hens really bad! And yes I cut out treats and so on. Any thoughts? You can mix this in with their water supply to give them a boost of minerals and vitamins. Occasionally, they will pick their own feathers to build a nest, which helps to prepare for the hatching chicks and also helps keep the hen and eggs warm. They have lived together for a year now so Im not sure what has changed. Hi Claire, our 8.5 year old hybrid chicken (Miss Pepperpot) has exactly the same issue quills but no feathery bit. They are all in one coop which is big enough for all of them. Please respond I really love this chicken, her name is Fluffy, and shes my Familys original hen, thanks a lot. They are free ranging over 1/2 acre so are definitely not bored. And you are correct about putting her in an already existing flock, she would be bullied, especially since she is already stressed. Molting typically happens about once a year, starting at around 18 months old. I have a chicken that the others in the flock bullied. The last few the shell was very soft. Ensure that the door to your coop is securely locked each night. I have read comments that people are experiencing some of their chickens molting in February. If it is just one or two hens I would in fact isolate the hens that are doing the bullying. If you think bullying might be to blame for a loss of feathers on one or more of your birds, but you arent one hundred percent sure, its pretty easy to figure out whether thats the case. Is it possible that the rooster is doing it? The entire flock is young and had just started laying. It can be a frightening sight, walking out towards your chicken coop and seeing feathers scattered everywhere. Is there something I can do to get them to stop pulling out the new growth? I have a chick not even 2 months old that is bald between the wings. Preening This is a common cause of small amounts of feather loss. They started laying end of November and were laying 8-10 eggs a day on average. All their beaks were broke off and feathers were damaged( broke off and missing) what can I do to help them, Hi Bridgette, Your email address will not be published. This is by far one of my hens favorite layers feed. They all start with a swolen vent with a loss of feathers. They climb all over each other at night, wondering if they are clawing each other, but you would think the other chicks would have it to, I just cant figure this out. If only one of your chickens has lost their feathers, it could be that she is just broody. She hasnt layed in about four weeks, either. You could also add some electrolyte to her water. Keep cleaning the vent for as many days as it takes for the vent gleet to subside. The molting process is the most likely reason that your chickens lose feathers. Their skin is sorta scabby. My flock of eight hens seems to be molting, but they are only 10 months old. You can spread tree pruning sealer onto the cut to help protect the injured chicken. Know Your Chickens is a free resource dedicated to teaching backyard chicken owners more about their flock. Could you email me so I can send photos? You might have some chickens that are just downright mean. You can then either isolate the culprits or use a blinder for a few days. Luckily, I havent ever lost any of my chickens to a predator, and chicken feather loss is normally much less serious. Can mice cause so much stress it causes them to lose feathers? If you are certain is isnt a molt, I would check them for mites! Hello there, All my 9 hens have bald backs. Claire, Before Christmas, someone dropped off a rooster and he found his way to my coop, containing 4 hens. (maybe one egg a day). We received 11 Barred Rock hens, fully grown and laying eggs. You need to give your chickens a bit more space and some distractions. Molting is seasonal and not something you will have any control over. As the name implies, these chickens have no feathers on their neck, and you'll see no signs of the feather follicle from which the pin feathers emerge. Claire. document.write(CurrentYear) Its certainly possible that the rooster is doing it- when they mate he will mount their back and this can cause the bald backs. Make sure you read our article on molting It may not display this or other websites correctly. Keep a large, easily read thermometer inside the coop at all times. If you notice your chickens over-preening, pecking, or losing feathers outside of their regular molting season, you may have some external parasites on your hands. Thank goodness, because they looked ugly!!! This isnt healthy for your hen if it continues for a long time, so make sure you read how to stop a broody hen. You can add high-protein treats or supplements like black soldier fly larvae, or upgrade to a feed with a higher protein content if this factor is to blame. Molting is when chickens lose old feathers and then will grow new feathers to replace the old ones. Ive never had mice before so Im not certain but I would be surprised! Stress such as extreme heat, water or food deprivation and illness can induce moulting. Thanks!0. Normally if one chicken has mites- they will all have mites. Sometimes they will even pull the feathers to be used in building their nests! Finally, around a year old, chickens start to moult, and this includes chickens losing vent feathers. If this continues you can either isolate her or the bully and see if her feathers come back. The other girls are ok. Isnt July a bit early for a true molt? Does anyone know what could be happening? However, in most cases, feather loss is completely normal and doesnt need any intervention from you. We got her in October last year as point of lay. However it seems even 2 days after separating them, she is still losing a lot of her and I am not sure if it is a stress reaction or molting or both? Ensure you displace the feathers with your hands and spray the shafts behind the neck, underneath the wings, and around the vent. There are feathers all over the place, but as for now he is the only obvious one to be looking noticeably less feathery. Sept will be our 2nd year of raising our girls and what a pleasant surprise it has been. Do you know what kind of parasites? Looks like feather picking to me to> I agree w/eggcessive> up the protein. I do not know how old she is. Red bums how do I take care of it. The previous owner said, she thought there was a bully, we never saw signs of this. An aerial attack can cause some serious damage Feather loss and extensive rooster crowing (especially at night) indicate an unwelcome visitor nearby. Simply soak the chicken's feet in a warm bath of water for 5-10 minutes, then softy rub the skin with a gentle toothbrush to remove any excess scales. Are you certain that they are molting and dont have some sort of infestation? Hello! Im worried! It is most common in a laying flock, because the vent of a chicken remains red and swollen for a few hours after an egg is laid. Therefore, you need to take action immediately to both prevent and eliminate it. We dont have males and I know she is not Brody because I saw her out and about at least three times today..i cleaned today the coop and I guess Ill check tomorrow for lice. I would love to know if roosters molt as hens do once per year. I am going through the same thing and I suspect that it could be lice. When roosters mate with hens, the rooster holds onto the hens back with their beak- this is known as treading. Her feather loss is all over her body. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad28ceb32661a15758829fc7742476ab" );document.getElementById("d926f7c7d8").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thanks. I might get some poultry powder just in case something is going on. Often, you will need to euthanize her to put her out of her misery. She gets on really well with the other two and loves to eat. Hi Kenzie, Also, our rooster, Randy, is looking quite dishevelled. I have about 10 chickens (out of 20+) that are about 70% naked due to feather loss. For a hen to grow their feathers back they need plenty of protein. We separated the smaller hens with missing feathers and let them recover. I just came back after being away for a week and found that one of our chickens feathers are gone I dont know what is wrong, Hi Hayley, We have 8 laying chickens, 3 are year plus and 5 are new to the flock,

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