How can I find my old pictures?

[jess]

Since i got my battery hen, my speckeldy has a very red bottom, just under the vent I guess. The vet said that it was probably lice and we got some front line for them.

 

I can't help but think it is egg peritonitis but the vet doesn't think it is. The hens are really happy and their normal selves eating drinking squawking, but its so unsightly.

 

I guess I will just have to leave them to it really, I'm a student and can't afford the vets fees again this month, just wondering if anyone else had a hen with a red behind?

 

Also one of my other hens was very wheezy for a while and had a runny nose well beak, but now she seems ok. Is it just me or do they tend to get sick quite a lot?

 

They have a lovely clean eglu btw and a huge garden so there is no reason for them to be sick!

[chelsea]

sorry to hear your girls are under the weather .

 

My old girl Ella has sterile peronitis and has a permanent red bum, the symptoms are :

 

swollen and red (featherless) area under the vent hanging low in between the legs, this area is full of fluid which causes the hen to walk like John Wayne and also when she sits she sometimes has shallow breath and her comb can sometimes go purple. The swollen area does go sometimes completely as her body absorbs the excess fluid. She occasionally gets treatment with Baytril and this helps tremendously. Other than the swelling she leads a perfectly normal chicken life

 

If it sounds similar symptoms with your girls I would suggest a chat with your vet, our vet said that Ella is fine as she is and she wouldnt entertain draining the fluid (she probably would get infected and die) and that her peronitis is mild compared to some she has seen.

 

If the above symptoms dont match your hens I would maybe examine the back area again, if they have lice you would clearly see the lice and the eggs on the base of the feathers. Do you think you have any feather eaters or pluckers maybe?

 

hope it clears up soon and as you say - you are doing everything right so they shouldnt be ill!

[stoice]

My ex-bat, Babs, always had a red bottom. All the more obvious because she was particularly bald 'down below' . She's well and is perky although once did get some undesirable attention from Gladys and got pecked till she bled. (I now think it was because she sometimes lays softies and had some shell hanging out that drew Gladys' attention) She has now moulted and is sporting a lovely frilly set of knickers! (Took about 5 months though)

 

I'd just keep an eye on her 'behind' for as long as it looks red, as long as no other girls are pecking her she should be fine

[The Dogmother]

It can be a sign of lice or feather pecking. Mix up some tea tree and lavender oils in a water spray and spray her botty with it to calm the skin and relieve any irritation. I would treat for lice/mites to be on the safe side too.