Red bottom!

[chookmike]

As we, like so many others, have red mite at the moment, I thought I might tell you this.

Our five are going through their first moult and we didn't really know what to expect - our books contain no pictures of it and we read that it can vary greatly. We honestly didn't know whether it would just be a few feathers or going up there one morning to find embarrassed naked hens hiding behind the feeders and sitting on their privates....

Head girl has lost all her belly feathers apart from a thin strip up the middle which covers the vent, so she sort of has bare buttocks if you like. I have avoided both obvious jokes there

We were concerned that these areas were often looking very red and inflamed and thought that it was the read mite - none of the others are actually bald so you can't see. Next odd thing was that sometimes the skin was just the usual pale creamy colour and then we sussed it - she flushes when excited about us being around and by food! Morning mash gets a warm pink, a little corn to steer them around gets a rosy glow and mealworms a positive summer sunset. The colours disappear as soon as the excitement is over.

Anyone seen this?

Mike.

[ChickenCarol]

I have seen this on their faces and did post about it once before to see if others had seen it. When Pepper is excited (treats) or angry (another girl in her favourite nest box) her face goes very red. If she pecked at another hen and I told her off, her face goes very red which caused amusement on here.

[manda]

Yes Mike...they all do it.

I was thinking about changing the title of this because I was wondering what a search on goggle would produce if I put in red bottoms.....thankfully when I did (Oh come on I have to do this...modding can be interesting at times!!)...what came up?

Christian Louboutin shoes ....I was soooo relieved

[aishakali]

Yep I noticed my little ex of 2011 Sindy had a very bare bottom. I thought it looked sore so I kept putting sudocreme on it Then I realised it would go back to normal colour Poor girl put up with quite a few days with a white bum till it twigged

[chookmike]

Good one Manda. I think I said too much last night so thanks to you and the others for confirming we are not going mad. Poor old chook getting Sudocream when having fun!

I don't think I'll reveal this new knowledge to 'the lads in the pub'

One never stops learning with hens!

Cheers

Mike

[silverback]

Mike, can you do a colour chart?.......

[chookmike]

I think I have written sufficiently on the subject of chicken's buttocks

And that was the third re-write of this reply.....

People might start talking....

Mike

[beulah59]

Red bottoms?



Bless her, she just can't get them to grow ...

[Sheila D]

This last one looks as if shes the lowest in the pecking order - getting her bum plucked by the others! Sudacrem must taste pretty bad, so perhaps put a bit of this on or some antipeck spray (I never found the spray very useful though) and they might stop pecking her.
Sheila