4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lizzie]

Hi

 

Dorothy, since we adopted her, has very red and bare skin on her back at the base of her tail. I took her to the vets last year and she was given a course of antibiotics but its still the same. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it and we have been putting vaseline on to give the area protection during this very cold weather.

Dorothy also has feathers missing further along from her tail, her neck and wings but I am hoping that these will grow back as there is no severe redness in these areas.

 

I called the vet again over Christmas to seek further advice and the vet thinks that it is permenant damage from when she was in the battery farm and doesn't think the feathers will ever grow back.

Is there anything that I could use to try and calm the redness down ?

 

Another girl has a red underneath so I would like to help her too.

 

Any advice gratefully received

Many thanks

[The Dogmother]

They might satrt to regrow them in the warmer weather, but some times they can do permanent damage to the quills by rubging against the mesh of their cage, especially if it is over-stocked.

 

Make sure that they have plenty of extra protein (tuna or live meal worms) and apply some Johnsons tea tree cream (for pets) to the sore bits; this also has lavender in it and is very soothing.

[Lizzie]

Thank you very much.

I will try and get some today

[The Dogmother]

Thank you very much.

I will try and get some today

 

Our local pet store sells it in the dog section.

[LJ's Chooks]

We have two chickens that had been in with cockeralls untill last april, they had been badly plucked above their tail and were very bruised. we had them on extra protein, vitamins etc, but their feathers did not re-grow until they moulted in december.

 

You may find this is the case with yours too... just ensure they get enough water in the summer (if she follows the same pattern) and provide plenty of shade, they seem to dehydrate quicker with no feathers.

 

I'm sure she'll be fine though...

[Lizzie]

Thank you both again for the advice

 

I managed to find an online stockist for the lotion so have ordered - it will hopefully arrive before the end of the week.

 

XX

[sandyhas3chucks]

well if you are going to leave it till the end of the week, may I suggest in the meantime you put some sodocrem on the sore btis, not too much, you can usually get this even in some petrol stations. I have used it often on my girls, loads of people will have it in the cupboards if they have small children too.

[Lizzie]

Dare I say / write this, but we have been applying the tea tree lotion for two days now (twice daily) and I think the skin does look slightly better. AND, there seems to be some new feathers trying to grow through.

Poor Dorothy had congealed blood oozing down her side where some feathers were breaking the skin, but we cleaned her up (she is so good) and was happy as always afterwards. Fingers crossed they all come back

 

Is there a time limit for using this tea tree lotion ?

 

Many thanks for the advice in the first place, absolutely thrilled that she may be able to have a full compliment of tail feathers after all. I will post pictures if the do grow back.

 

XXX

[The Dogmother]

Is that lotion that you have or the cream? At any rate you can continue to use it for as long as you like.

[Lizzie]

As mentioned on my previous update, Dorothy had some new feathers growing through. However, it seems that she is pulling these out so perhaps this is why she has stayed bald and sore there for so long ?

I am sure that none of the other hens are doing this as they get on very well but is there anything else I could put on this area ?

I am assuming that they are sore or painful coming through so this is why she is removing them.

 

Many thanks

 

Liz

[sandyhas3chucks]

Hello, i had a persistent sore red bum on one of mine since MAY!

It got very very sore & inflamed , even took her to the vet that gave me £14 worth steroid cream which only made it worse.

the 2 most helpful things were

1.Sodocrem stopped using when discovered her friend a rescue used to being fed copious amounts of CREAM (yes real cream! ) was tucking in.

I separeated Moe on sleeping for some weeks and used a

 

2.nappy rash cream called metatanium. it is yellow.

This was brilliant... calmed it right down & only needed applying every 3 days or so. In between it stayyed white(or yellow!)

 

I separated her into a cat asket for sleeping cos her friend was still eating!

 

I am happy to say she is sporting at long last some very pretty fluuffy knickers, the eqivelent of a thong but unlike thong it IS getting bigger!

 

this is not licencesd for poultry & I used it in desparation,. spread very thinly!

hope this helps

[Lizzie]

Thanks Sandy - think I will have a bash at the nappy rash cream first

 

Regards

[The Dogmother]

They do itch as they come through (much like a man growing a beard) and the new quills are full of blood, which tastes nice to chooks, so they then get into the bad habit. May I suggest squirting her with the vile tasting Ukadex?

[Lizzie]

Happy to try, but it won't hurt her will it ? I mean her skin looks sore now so just worried that it will sting.

 

Thank you

[The Dogmother]

Never tried it on myself but they don't seem to mind, it does stink though and is tinted, so keep it away from yourself!

[chickencam]

Where do you get Ukadex from?

 

I wonder about trying it on Dippy, she and Bertha had bare bottoms last winter which got chapped and sore. Bertha's feathers have grown back since the bumper bits were fitted to them all, but Dippy's have not.

 

She has very few other feathers too, she is very threadbare, but she hasn't stopped laying since she started in September 2007, she slowed down a bit when the others had their rest but she could do with a rest and some new feathers.

 

I have a feeling that she pulls her own feathers out, but she is the bottom of the pecking order too.

[The Dogmother]

You can get it most places Liz, a google search may throw up a local or online supplier.

[chickencam]

Thanks

[Lizzie]

Well, we have put tea tree cream on Dorothy's bare patches every day and I am thrilled to report that she currently has a good 0.25 " of new feather growth all over the bare areas.

Her skin looks much better. We are keeping everything crossed that she finally manages to get a full compliment of feathers after all of this time

 

Many thanks again for this great advice.

 

Regards

Liz

[The Dogmother]

Glad to hear it, I find that cream to be very good, in fact I use it on my own hands when they are sore.