Feathers lost on backside of chicken

[Brewerd]

I have a speckled sussex 11 months old that has lost all her butt feathers. How can I get them to grow back? I think others are pecking on her.

 

[feather13]

I'm not an expert, but I would observe to see if the others are pecking her.

If the skin is red or bleeding, try using Blu Kote. It's super messy, so wear dark clothing and gloves. I apply it to chickens in the early evening when they are calmer. It covers up red skin spots and usually keeps other chickens from pecking.

Is your hen being broody? I've found some hens who go broody lose the feathers around their bottoms. They grow back, but you'll need to keep the hen off eggs (remove eggs as soon as they're laid).

Hope this helps!

 

[Brewerd]

I'm not an expert, but I would observe to see if the others are pecking her.

If the skin is red or bleeding, try using Blu Kote. It's super messy, so wear dark clothing and gloves. I apply it to chickens in the early evening when they are calmer. It covers up red skin spots and usually keeps other chickens from pecking.

Is your hen being broody? I've found some hens who go broody lose the feathers around their bottoms. They grow back, but you'll need to keep the hen off eggs (remove eggs as soon as they're laid).

Hope this helps!

I tried blu cote, but they seemed to peck at her more. She is not broody.
Thanks

 

[feather13]

I tried blu cote, but they seemed to peck at her more. She is not broody.
Thanks

We just used Blu Kote on Polish chicks that were being pecked and it did the same thing... made the other chicks more interested in pecking. It can work really well or make things worse.

Do you have a way to keep her in the coop with a divider from the others or a large dog kennel so that she can recover, but still be around the other hens? Or, if only one bird is pecking her, you could isolate that one for a while.

HenCam suggests that bare bottoms might be a sign of parasites, mites, or protein deficiency: https://hencam.com/faq/bare-butts-feather-loss-and-feather-picking/

I'm sorry for your bird! Speckled Sussex are beautiful and I hope she recovers soon.

 

[Brewerd]

We just used Blu Kote on Polish chicks that were being pecked and it did the same thing... made the other chicks more interested in pecking. It can work really well or make things worse.

Do you have a way to keep her in the coop with a divider from the others or a large dog kennel so that she can recover, but still be around the other hens? Or, if only one bird is pecking her, you could isolate that one for a while.

HenCam suggests that bare bottoms might be a sign of parasites, mites, or protein deficiency: https://hencam.com/faq/bare-butts-feather-loss-and-feather-picking/

I'm sorry for your bird! Speckled Sussex are beautiful and I hope she recovers soon.

I do have a small coop that I could put her in to isolate her, but still be seen by the others and see if that works. How would I know if it was mites?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Post a photo if you can. If feather loss is from picking it can be related to protein level in feed (what is protein % of their feed? Do you feed them anything else like treats/snacks?), boredom (how big is the run? What's in the space for them to do?), stress (i.e. how many birds in above run space?).

How to check for and ID mites: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[Brewerd]

Post a photo if you can. If feather loss is from picking it can be related to protein level in feed (what is protein % of their feed? Do you feed them anything else like treats/snacks?), boredom (how big is the run? What's in the space for them to do?), stress (i.e. how many birds in above run space?).

How to check for and ID mites: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Protein level is 16% Dumor organic layer crumbles. I give them mealworms and sunflower seeds for treats. I have 12 chickens in decent sized run. The run has some access to some plants on the outside of the fence. Wouldn't the problem be in more than one chicken if there was an issue with food.

 

[Gtstricky]

Isolate her until she heals up. Here is a good video:

 

[rosemarythyme]

Protein level is 16% Dumor organic layer crumbles. I give them mealworms and sunflower seeds for treats. I have 12 chickens in decent sized run. The run has some access to some plants on the outside of the fence. Wouldn't the problem be in more than one chicken if there was an issue with food.

The reason I asked about protein isn't because of the bird that's picked on, but the other birds picking on it (if picking is the case). Birds can pick on each other to eat one another's feathers. 16% protein is pretty much bare minimum so protein could be a factor here.

"Decent sized run" to me for 12 would be something like 400+ sq ft. Is that how big yours is? If you don't wish to provide photos then exact measurements would be helpful as well as a detailed description of everything that's in the space, from litter used to types of clutter/obstacles, if any. If there's no clutter, I'd highly suggest adding some as they provide hiding spots for a picked on bird, as well as serve as a distraction to stop the others from picking. For examples of clutter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Brewerd]

Isolate her until she heals up. Here is a good video:

Thank you