Bald bum

[Happy Alun]

Hello everyone,

I have a question about two of my chooks, recently I noticed that Doris and Brenda have started to lose the downy feathers around their bums!

I cannot see any other sign of loss of feathers so don't think its malting and it would be a coincidence if they were both losing the same feathers in the same place at the same time?

Also I have recently changed the straw in the coop from a friend but unsure if it's caused any irritation to them but wouldn't explain why the two who share the same coop have no sign of it, I just don't know whats caused it or how to solve it?!

Anyone with experiance of this please offer some help and advice

[grandmaeileen]

Hi, I have one hen who has never had feathers on her bum! She lost them soon after we got them at Point-of-Lay and I have tried all sorts to try and get them to grow back. We had shredded paper bedding at the time and it was June but since then their bedding has been sawdust type bedding and now straw which they prefer, but still no feathers! The other three have lovely fluffy, clean bloomers but hers are non existent, I've tried putting on sudocrem cream because sometimes she looks a bit red, it calms the skin down but doesn't do anything to encourage feathers.
They get layers pellets and a handful of corn, other treats are cooked rice and pasta and cooked veg. Also any greens i.e. cabbage leaves and the occasional handful of meal worms.
If you come up with a solution, I'll give it a try and best of luck.

[Mad Chick]

My guess if you are sure they aren't moulting would be feather pecking from another hen, especially if the area looks a little sore.

Feather pecking can often be a sign of boredom, so try moving things around in the run etc to keep them occupied. It can also be a sign of protein deficiency as feathers are very high in protein so make a protein rich snack. Try upping the protein in their diet, either by buying a higher protein content layers pellet or by adding protein rich foods (dried mealworms, maggots, scrambled egg, flaxseed, dried fish flakes, fishmeal, alfalfa seed, duckweed, chickpeas are all good sources of protein)

Also I just found an old post by Manda who always gives excellent advice...
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43169&p=601672&hilit=protein#p601672" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pepi]

As MadChick says check its not lack of protein or plucking/boredom - but I posted on this issue last year some time - my neighbour has about 25 hens, in a run, half of which always have red bare bums at any given time. In her case, the hens are on bare earth (its a very old run) so Ive always reckoned its because of a deficiency of some sort - she feed layers pellets and a tiny bit of mixed corn, and then scraps

[HensAloud]

My Matilda never wore knickers, bit draughty in the winter I thought, but then once a Trollop.......... Always a Trollop

[KathJ]

Hi Alun, one of our girls has a bare behind at the moment too which we thought was just moulting. She also has a runny bum and so her feathers became matted too which made her look even worse. We gave her a bath last weekend (which she wasn't keen on although other people say their girls love it ). She looked a bit better afterwards as her remaining feather's fluffed up. Her laying's always been a bit hit and miss and they have mealworms every day. One of our other ladies has lost feather's around her neck but the other two don't seem to have lost any and they're all around the same age. I just hope they start to grow back soon as they look a bit scrawny and a bare bottom is so undignified Reading some of the other posts though they may not

[manda]

Easiest way to tell if you have a feather pecker...pick them up and have a look at the feather shaft...if it was moulting you would have a hole where the feather has been pushed out by the new one, if there is another one pecking the shafts will be there but broken....

[chicks&cats]

Two of my girls have bare bottoms at the mo due to moulting, my other girl has bare bottom, legs, back near her tail......

[Happy Alun]

Thanks for the replys so soon, I will check them over tomorrow to see if I see any sign of pulling feathers but it doubtful as I with them most of the day (work nights) and have never seen any of them around that region, I do feed them layers pellets with a little treat of meal worms and corn everyday which is mainly used to get them into one area of the run so I can clean the rest of the run out, the run like the coop is covered with straw apart from two dust baths that they all enjoy and I am still getting regular eggs so apart from the bare bum they look in perfect health.

I will look again tomorrow but am not to worried as others have already said it seems quite common.

Thanks again!

[manda]

KathJ...have your chooks been wormed recently...runny bums can be a sign of a worm load...just in case you didn't know.

Alun...another thought...have you checked them for mites...although I still would be surprised if it was feather plucking...they can do it when they're roosting as well.

[KathJ]

Hi Manda, yes they were wormed last month with Flub and they have Vermex every month. Bluebells had a runny bum on and off since we had her, sometimes it's worse than others. I was talking to a vet at the weekend at a show who advised giving her ACV for a couple of weeks in the water although they have it every month for one week anyway. So we're going to try that and see if she gets any better. Thanks

[manda]

Can depend on the colour of the poo as well ....often nothing to worry about just incovenient....as the weather warms it will at least get easier.

[grandmaeileen]

I always check my hen's behind when I put her sudocream on and there's no sign of feather shaft or anything, just smooth bare skin. Bless her, she knows now I'm going to put cream on her and allows me to pick her up no bother, it's also a good time to have a cuddle!
She seems to be one of the more dominant hens and is always first to push in for the treats.
Her bum feathers were always matted before she lost them, and she sometimes has a runny bum but they've all been wormed recently.