Omlet cube and run

[amys garden]

Help!

I thought my girls were doing really well after their course of marriages with flubenvet .

They looked all fluffy and and Dottie looks like shes putting on weight.

So you can imagine my horror when I found today that Dottie and Hazel both have bare chests

I'm a bit down hearted now and just can't seem to get it right!

Is it possible they've been picking out there feathers because they've been shut in there run with only marriages?

Or possibly they got some sort of might?

 

They are laying nicely and running about but ...

I'm feeling defeated

[Chortle Chook]

I'm sorry you are struggling Amy I can't say at all what it might be. The only thing I can suggest is that you try a spot on treatment (as for cats) to get rid off all parasites. You'd have to stop eating any eggs for 2 weeks and I know that frontline is not supposed to be for Chickens but I also know that quite a few people on here have used it with success.

 

The other thing I think I'd try is to give them some distractions / toys in case they are feather plucking out of boredom e.g. hang up an apple for them to play with or a bunch of raw spinach leaves. Also put in some different perches.

[amys garden]

I gave there coop a thorough deep clean and couldn't see any evidence of mites.

The girls spent the day FR-ing while I gardened and they had a lovely time poking about, eating bugs and finished off with a lovely dust bath in some fresh veg patch earth.

I think they probably got really depressed and bored cooped up with only marriages...

So tomorrow I'm going to make them a proper dust bath for their run (we have an old plastic bassinet in the loft thats just right) and they can have a pecking block too.

I also love the idea of mixing meal worms in with pebbles.

And a friend is going to come over and help with giving them a thorough check for mites too.

How do I apply spot on for girls, how much do I use?

Thanks for replying Shabby Chic nothing like a lovely sunny day to make it all a bit better fingers crossed

[merlina]

I had a hen with a bare chest for quite awhile - never got to the bottom of it.

Never saw her or any of the others pecking it

Lots of people suggested she might be going broody, but never really saw any other signs of that.

She never moulted 'properly' so I don't know if it was that

After while it grew back, more or less

[good_egg]

I got frontline spray prescribed by vet for Annette (she came with some hangers on)... It says spray under each wing on the label.... Might also say somewhere else, I'll double check in morning for you.

[amys garden]

Ooo thanks Good Egg

I'm trying to avoid the vet if pos...

It cost me about £60 to treat mycoplasma/crop parasites last November at the vet.

Don't think I could justify that kind of expense again especially as they seem well just no feathers on there bellies...