Cube Mark One Run

[ewoodpugz]

I adopted my 3 ex batt ladies in Februaury. They are all doing great, but two of them never seem to have developed decent feather growth. In the main they have fluffy, downy white feathers but there are some areas around the neck/chest and tail where there has been no re-growth and the skin looks red. I thought there might be an issue with pecking so have tried anti-pecking spray but this hasn't worked so I don't think this is an issue and they all get on very well now.

 

I'm wondering if they may have a type of mite - would this just affect 2 out of 3 of them. I treat the eglu with red mite powder every 6 weeks. There aren't any other symptoms. IS there a sort of catch-all mite spray I can use? Any other ideas of the cause?

 

Thanks!

[vickichicky]

I Have had my Ex-Batts a year and a half only 1 of the 3 really fully fluffed up all over. The other 2 (still surviving) still have bald bums. I think the feather pecking was so ingrained in them they still do it to an extent by over preening. As long as you cant see any Lice or eggs when you part the feathers they should be fine. The skin of an older chicken is red anyway - it isn't sore, it's the natural colour. Benni my head ex-batt had a half hearted attempt at going broody earlier this year and plucked all her chest feathers out to get warm skin contact with the eggs, it still hasn't grown back and she has a red chest..... Where as my Blubell's feathers are growing back already and she's only just been dissuaded from the nest box.

I bought the special 'Ex-batt' mash for mine after about 2 months and I think it helped a bit but it's hard to tell. I still give all 6 of my girls a porridge of layers mash once a day in addition to their pellets which are always available. They all love it and it is a handy way to get extra nutrients into them like mineral & pro-biotic powders mixed in with a bit of water from time to time. They can help feather growth and quality as can a little cod liver oil - just not all the time.

Hope that helps a bit! Good luck - I love my 2 scruffy little girls, they have the most personality out of all my girls with their zest for life and adventure

[MedusA]

1 of my 4 ex-batts is still mostly bald after 4 months. The other 3 feathered up beautifully, but Thyme still looks almost as bad as the day I got her. If she seems happy and healthy in other respects, maybe you shouldn't worry too much.

 

At least she's a free chicken.

[The Dogmother]

The problem with ex-batts refeathering is that in the past with all the enforced laying their bodies are depleted of the protein and essential nutrients needed for growing new feathers. Personally, I'd recommend to deter them from laying by feeding them growers feed instead of layers and see if that helps. It will mean less eggs, but they will use the nutrients to make feathers instead. A dose of a good quality poultry tonic in their water wouldn't go amiss either.

 

There is a new moulting rescue product coming out in September, that sounds like it ought to help.

[majuka]

Our ex-batts have all re-feathered at different rates. From our first collection, the bottom of the pecking order, the weakest and most submissive girl, Matilda, regained her feathers very quickly and really blossomed compared to the other girls. However she did stop laying first so she had more energy for the feathers. Strangely enough, another of our girls, Clarissa, who had a tumour only started growing feathers round her comb, an area which had previously been bald, after she was diagnoised with the tumour and started on frusemide. That really surprised us.

[mostin]

One of my ex-batts only really feathered up after she had a proper moult in the winter. It took her nearly a full year, and yet some grew their feathers after a couple of months. She is still with me and doing fine though