LP13
In the Brooder
- Apr 18, 2022
- 1
- 0
- 10
Please help me! I have 5 lovely ladies who joined our family March of 2022. The ladies have a 1/4 acre of fully fenced in backyard in a SW Georgia suburb to free range for at least 6 to 8 hours a day 5 to 7 days a week. On days the weather is to rainy or they must be in their run for some reason they have a large coop and covered run that I have attempted to make enjoyable for chickens. *I will attach pictures of everything at the end*
Starting around mid to late October I noticed 4 of the 5 ladies were missing feathers in the center of their back sides (but well below their vents). I began researching like a good new mom would. I didn’t see lice, I could not find any signs of mites, but we cleaned the coop and dusted with DE. We also dusted the girls with DE to be safe. After all this one rainy day I randomly looked outside and noticed feather plucking from one of the girls to another. Once so saw it, I began to notice it when they were free ranging also. For a few weeks I would sit outside with them with a squirt bottle on stream and squirt anyone I saw plucking or attempting to pluck another lady, then immediately remove the aggressor and place them in the coop for a few minutes. I also covered their exposed pink skin with Blu spray from tractor supply. These 2 actions seemed to work. No one has seen feather plucking since (I spend a few hours each day outside with my ladies while they free range, observing them and enjoying their company. They will come jump on my lap to say hello quite often, giving me a good opportunity to look for lice etc, which I still do not see).
Yet the featherless bottoms continue and now it is on all 5 of my ladies. I am wondering if the feather plucking could be happening in the coop in the morning before we wake up to let them out, which is now later to them (due to daylight savings time). We have recently tried \"Pick no more\" chicken lotion from Tractor supply, that is supposed to help stop chickens from plucking and chicken cannibalism. I just DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!! PLEASE HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS OR HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS YOURSELF.
Some things of note: we got all 5 ladies at the same time when they were 5 days old from a feed store last March. We have 4 ISA Browns and 1 Golden Commet (we were supposed to have 3 ISA’s and 2 Goldens, but it didn’t turn out that way). We have not rooster. All the ladies are eating, drinking, exploring, running, playing and friendly like they normally are. I have not seen any decrease in energy or lethargy from any of the ladies. No one seems to be ostracized from the flock, they all roam and explore they yard like they always have. I have not changed any of their feed. They are continuing to lay almost daily (except during this extreme cold snap we just had for a few days) and there is no change in their egg quality.
This is our coop and run.
Above are 2 examples of the ladies today.
This was 10/29/2022 when I first began to notice the bald butts.
If any more information would help let me know!! Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me with this!!!!
Starting around mid to late October I noticed 4 of the 5 ladies were missing feathers in the center of their back sides (but well below their vents). I began researching like a good new mom would. I didn’t see lice, I could not find any signs of mites, but we cleaned the coop and dusted with DE. We also dusted the girls with DE to be safe. After all this one rainy day I randomly looked outside and noticed feather plucking from one of the girls to another. Once so saw it, I began to notice it when they were free ranging also. For a few weeks I would sit outside with them with a squirt bottle on stream and squirt anyone I saw plucking or attempting to pluck another lady, then immediately remove the aggressor and place them in the coop for a few minutes. I also covered their exposed pink skin with Blu spray from tractor supply. These 2 actions seemed to work. No one has seen feather plucking since (I spend a few hours each day outside with my ladies while they free range, observing them and enjoying their company. They will come jump on my lap to say hello quite often, giving me a good opportunity to look for lice etc, which I still do not see).
Yet the featherless bottoms continue and now it is on all 5 of my ladies. I am wondering if the feather plucking could be happening in the coop in the morning before we wake up to let them out, which is now later to them (due to daylight savings time). We have recently tried \"Pick no more\" chicken lotion from Tractor supply, that is supposed to help stop chickens from plucking and chicken cannibalism. I just DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!! PLEASE HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS OR HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS YOURSELF.
Some things of note: we got all 5 ladies at the same time when they were 5 days old from a feed store last March. We have 4 ISA Browns and 1 Golden Commet (we were supposed to have 3 ISA’s and 2 Goldens, but it didn’t turn out that way). We have not rooster. All the ladies are eating, drinking, exploring, running, playing and friendly like they normally are. I have not seen any decrease in energy or lethargy from any of the ladies. No one seems to be ostracized from the flock, they all roam and explore they yard like they always have. I have not changed any of their feed. They are continuing to lay almost daily (except during this extreme cold snap we just had for a few days) and there is no change in their egg quality.
This is our coop and run.
Above are 2 examples of the ladies today.
This was 10/29/2022 when I first began to notice the bald butts.
If any more information would help let me know!! Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me with this!!!!
