Bare Bum in Winter

[lbgreenfield]

Thanks for the continued advice everyone!

Bare Bum is still alive and seems to have pin feathers regrowing around her bum area. I will take some additional pictures tonight and upload here to keep track and see what everyone else thinks.

As far as exercise, their coop is attached to a 16ft by 30ft fully fenced run with a portion of it covered with a tarp roof, logs/stumps for climbing, roost bars made out of 2x4s, a dirt bath area, a doghouse for hiding/shade, and I just put down a fresh straw bale to cover the dirt/snow yesterday (Sunday, 15 Dec). I had a hawk scare last week and all the chickens have been too scared to come out of the coop lately, so they have not been getting any exercise. Plus, with the cold temps, they all really don't want to leave the coop for anything! I've even taken them out one by one from the coop and put them in the pen and they all run right back into the coop. My coop is small (8ft by 8ft shed with roosts and nesting boxes) so I can't build much more "jungle gym" equipment in the coop or else I won't be able to walk in and clean poop or collect eggs. I've tried to woo them out of the coop with everything I know they like and I think they're still scared to leave because of the hawk scare. I also have taken them out of the coop one by one to free range them but they end up all running into the woods or into my garage to hide. The hawk didn't hurt any of them, but it did land on top of the pen and tried to get into the pen to attack, so I'm guessing the chickens are all still really scared still (hawk scare happened 6 December). I don't know what else to do for exercise with them, but I have not been giving evening treats to them as much, only every 2 days now.

I will keep feeding them cabbages, romaine/kale/turnip greens/etc. broccoli, cauliflower, melons, blueberries, cooked green peas, canned pumpkin, etc. and will limit treats (scratch and worms/flies) to keep them healthy. Any other suggestions are welcome to try and get them to exercise more in the winter months.

I'll also post some pictures of my pen and inside my coop too in addition to Bare Bum photo updates tonight after work.

 

[lbgreenfield]

Morning Update (17 Dec): Bare Bum seems to be slowly growing back new pin feathers. I let them out to free range for about 45 minutes after work last night and Bare Bum was scratching, eating grass, and acting normal. I put more Nu-Stock on her bum to protect it from the cold weather.

I'll provide sporadic updates when (hopefully) her fluffy butt returns in a few weeks.

 

[lbgreenfield]

FINAL UPDATE & HAPPY FLUFFY BUTT ENDING (31 Dec):
Hi everyone! Bare Bum is bare no more. After a total of about 3-4 weeks of a hard molt (almost a total loss of feathers on her bum, wings, and sides), Kylo-Hen is slowly growing back her fluffy feathers. She is still growing back her body feathers, but her fluffy butt has returned, just in time for a cold weather streak here in Pittsburgh. I have attached a few pictures.

For future hard molters seeking advice, here is what worked for me:

1. Supplementing with protein-rich foods: I did not buy high protein feed (Feather Fixer or All Flock pellets) because both were unavailable in the stores in my area and I found that in combination with feeding with regular Purina Layena and supplementing with protein rich foods, this is what helped her feathers grow back. Protein-rich foods that she liked and actually ate include: Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, canned tuna in water, canned chicken in water, mealworms/flies, and leafy greens (mainly turnip greens, kale and cabbage).

2. Applying a light coating of Vaseline every other day to bare areas: Since cold weather had hit, her bare skin was red and dry. I coated her bare areas with a light layer of Vaseline every other day to protect her skin during the cold weather. She actually seemed to enjoy it when I was applying it to her bare bum, haha.

3. Don't panic (ha): Looking back, I kind of freaked out when she wasn't eating as much as she normally would and that I was scared she'd get frostbite with her bare skin exposed. With eating habits, I found that feeding her alone after everyone else ate worked for her, as she was very cautious and scared to eat around the others (according to others in this forum, that is totally normal for a molting chicken to be scared). I found that Kylo know what she needed to do to keep warm, which included burying into the coop bedding and sitting by the panel heaters.

4. Not Buying/Using all kinds of products/feed/etc: When it doubt, KISS (Keep is Simple Stupid!) She didn't need special feeds, supplements, or ointments. She just needed time!

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully this will help others who have chickens going through a hard molt like mine did.

Thanks again everyone for your help and Happy New Year!

P.S. If someone with higher admin privileges than me can change the title of this forum to "Final Update - Happy Ending - Bare Bum in Winter" I would appreciate it, if that's even possible.

 

[Oolala]

I wish my Daisy's bottom would fluff up again, especially now its winter, she eats well and gets dried meal worms, tinned sweetcorn, crushed peanuts and sunflower seeds for supper every night mixed in with grains, free ranges the garden so gets lots of grass and bugs to eat. I dont think she is being pecked at as she is top girl in the bunch but she has had a bad leg since November and bumblefoot and still limps a little despite all I have done and medication and an exam from the vet but no obvious reason for the limp, perhaps all this is contributing to her feathers not growing back, also she hasnt laid an egg for a couple of months now but it is winter with short dark days, she doesnt seem to be egg bound and her droppings are normal. I suppose I just have to be patient and hooe they grow back in spring

FINAL UPDATE & HAPPY FLUFFY BUTT ENDING (31 Dec):
Hi everyone! Bare Bum is bare no more. After a total of about 3-4 weeks of a hard molt (almost a total loss of feathers on her bum, wings, and sides), Kylo-Hen is slowly growing back her fluffy feathers. She is still growing back her body feathers, but her fluffy butt has returned, just in time for a cold weather streak here in Pittsburgh. I have attached a few pictures.

For future hard molters seeking advice, here is what worked for me:

1. Supplementing with protein-rich foods: I did not buy high protein feed (Feather Fixer or All Flock pellets) because both were unavailable in the stores in my area and I found that in combination with feeding with regular Purina Layena and supplementing with protein rich foods, this is what helped her feathers grow back. Protein-rich foods that she liked and actually ate include: Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, canned tuna in water, canned chicken in water, mealworms/flies, and leafy greens (mainly turnip greens, kale and cabbage).

2. Applying a light coating of Vaseline every other day to bare areas: Since cold weather had hit, her bare skin was red and dry. I coated her bare areas with a light layer of Vaseline every other day to protect her skin during the cold weather. She actually seemed to enjoy it when I was applying it to her bare bum, haha.

3. Don't panic (ha): Looking back, I kind of freaked out when she wasn't eating as much as she normally would and that I was scared she'd get frostbite with her bare skin exposed. With eating habits, I found that feeding her alone after everyone else ate worked for her, as she was very cautious and scared to eat around the others (according to others in this forum, that is totally normal for a molting chicken to be scared). I found that Kylo know what she needed to do to keep warm, which included burying into the coop bedding and sitting by the panel heaters.

4. Not Buying/Using all kinds of products/feed/etc: When it doubt, KISS (Keep is Simple Stupid!) She didn't need special feeds, supplements, or ointments. She just needed time!

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully this will help others who have chickens going through a hard molt like mine did.

Thanks again everyone for your help and Happy New Year!

P.S. If someone with higher admin privileges than me can change the title of this forum to "Final Update - Happy Ending - Bare Bum in Winter" I would appreciate it, if that's even possible.

 

[Oolala]

Daisy and her bare bum