Help! Chickens with bald bums

[DMac]

I have 2 hens (1 Light sussex, 1 Bluebell and a black Rock) around 11 months old. When I let them out I noticed all of them had no feathers on their bums! I thought it was caused by them sleeping in the nest box, but i'm not sure! I checked the nest box, perches and the hens but can't find any mites. When I checked them this morning I found my sussex with one of her feathers in her mouth! Are they plucking out their own feathers?

[RichmondHens]

1. Feather plucking can be caused by a) boredom b) not enough protein in the diet c) irritation due to parasites
If they are mite/lice free then look at what you are feeding them. They should be on mainly layers pellets and a small treat if you wish late afternoon. If they are in a small coop/run and cannot get out to range further you need to provide "entertainment" - greens hung up to peck etc

2. They should not be sleeping in the nest box. Chuck them out each night onto the perches and block off the nest box at night if they persist in going in there. It's a bad habit and results in pooey nest boxes which need cleaning out each day otherwise you get dirty eggs.

By the way, Welcome to the Vine!

[DMac]

Thanks.

My girls are housed in a 3 ft sq house. The run is approx 8 meters x 4 meters. Half is covered by a very thick layer of bark chips for digging in, the rest is soil, stone chips and grass.

The only green veg they will eat is baby spinach and grass! Tried many other veg but they won't touch it!

I feed them on layers pellets with a mineral/vit sup in the morning and a bit of mixed grain and spinich in the afternoon. They also eat whatever the dig up in the run with added slugs and grubs!

I don't want to block off the nest box as my black rock lays her egg very early(before 6am). I have tried leaving them for an hour after I lock them in and them putting them on their perch, but this doesn't always work!

My Light Sussex is a bit nutty! She will chase anything that goes near her food. I've caught her chasing, catching, then eating a mouse that went near her food! She has almost caught several birds(I managed to get them out in time).

Is their anything else I should be doing?

[RichmondHens]

It sounds like they are well catered for. I would let them have the layers pellets ad lib all day with just a handful of grain an hour or so pre roosting. I understand about the early layer. Maybe you will just have to persist in putting them on the perches at night and after a week or so they may get the message.

The only other thing is they may be having a partial moult, although they are a little young for this. Also do they have somewhere dry to dustbathe? The other possibility is if your LS is the dominant hen she may be just bullying the others. Keep an eye on her as this sort of behaviour can escalate. If she draws blood it is time to remove her.

Chickens love mice (and frogs). Mine go wild when they get one. It's perfectly normal behaviour!

[DMac]

My LS is the dominant hen, but it's not a problem. If she tries anything on with the BR my Bluebell goes between then and stares them out! As she has a slight height advantage over the LS she always wins.

I'm a bit worried they might be cold. Its sub zero at the moment. Will they be warn enough without their fluffy bum feathers? Is it usual for hens to moult these feathers but keep the rest in good condition?

By the time I get home at night it's dark and they are in bed. Should I put a light in the house so they get something warm to eat after 5pm. They get hot mash at in the morning and at lunch time?

I don't have an area where i could keep the soul dry for any length of time (horizontal rain!) Could I use sand or something else?

Sorry to have so many questiones, I'm just worried I'm doing something wrong!

[Eco-Chic]

Two of my three pullets have a partial moult. Myrtle 'no-knickers' is bare from her vent up to the where the lower part of her crop is. She has also been broody for a couple of weeks. Maude is partially bald underneath but is still wearing frilly knickers. Their bald parts are very hot to the touch.

[Eco-Chic]

I'm using some 7' sheets of corrugated plastic across the roof of the coop to overhang each side and keep the rain out of the sides of the run.

Could you staple some heavy duty polythene to the sides to keep the rain out?

[DMac]

They have a small run attached to the house(approx 2mx1m) this is covered but is always damp! I was thinking of putting a raised box of soil in one corner. I'm hoping that it will keep the soil a bit dryer.

My girls aren't quiet as bald. Just where their frilly knickers were!

[Snadger]

I know I'm going to get shot down here but here goes!

My allotment neighbours chooks always have bare bums. They have a big run, a dry coop and they are well looked after with layers pellets on demand and nest boxes cleaned out every day..............but............they are in a sunless area which is shaded by trees.

Sunlight must play a part in a chooks wellbeing (I think so anyway, or an alternative light source) and is the only thing missing from my neighbours run!

Ok, so your run gets loads of sunlight which blows my theory to pieces you say..........or does it?

[Eco-Chic]

The soil is damp under mine but not wet. It's not frozen either. When it does freeze I'll put some straw down. If you've got some dry compost or soil add some ashes to it if you have any and some Diatom and it'll make a lovely dust bath for them.

I've got a baby bath which I must fill so mine can do the same.

[Eco-Chic]

My chooks free range for 4/5 hours a day so get whatever sunlight is available, which rather blows your theory to pieces Snadger

To further demolish your theory, one chook is bare assed, one is partially clad and the third is wearing frilly drawers

[DMac]

Thanks.

I think I'll go with the compost idea. What ash do you use? Coal,wood or some special product?

[Eco-Chic]

Wood and bramble. Dunno about coal or BBQ

[RichmondHens]

Wood ash is fine. Coal is not recommended as it encourages scaley leg mite.
It doesn't matter if they don't get to dustbathe every day, it's impossible to keep everywhere dry. I find the best area for my chooks is under the hen houses. They are on legs and big enough to always have a dry area underneath and the chooks dig a dusting pit themselves (the soil is very sandy). Occasionally I top them up with sand/additional soil/ ash etc.

I can't really come up with an answer to your knickerless chickens DMac but if you are certain they don't have lice then it's probably a partial moult.

[Snadger]

The soil is damp under mine but not wet. It's not frozen either. When it does freeze I'll put some straw down. If you've got some dry compost or soil add some ashes to it if you have any and some Diatom and it'll make a lovely dust bath for them.

I've got a baby bath which I must fill so mine can do the same.

I use diatomimous earth on ther roosting bars and in nest boxes! Have no mites or anything but can't say for definate that this is the reason!

PS You have to be careful not to breath the stuff though, as like asbestos, it lodges in your lungs, apparently!