feather loss and raised red skin ???

coachwood · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 6:58 am

Hi Everyone,
THere are three people that I know of in our town that have this problem with their chooks and I am out of ideas.

The chooks ( about 12 months old) lose feathers in clumps all over their bodies and the skin underneath is red and raised and kind of looks like sunburn. Some of the chooks have looked like this for months.The chooks still eat, lay and behave the same as ever. Some free range and some are in a gnenerous run.

Ratbaits were untouched so I don't think it is rats.

The chooks I know who have this were all from the same source so I am thinking maybe some sort of fungal skin condition?

Any ideas on what it could be and how to treat it? Winters are really cold up here so half bald chooks won't survive.

Thanks

Roova · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 8:01 am

What breed of chook are they?

Commercial breeds often end up looking pretty bald while moulting. I would say if they are still laying while moulting their body just can't produce enough protein for both eggs and feathers. Most chooks stop egg laying while moulting for this reason.

I would be inclined to try adding some extra protein, this could be with catfood (not dog food - too salty and not the fish catfood)or bandsaw dust etc

But just in case...
Male and female?
Have they moulted normally and then feathers dropped out, or have they never grown feathers properly?
How long have they looked this way?
Can you see pin feathers coming through in the bald spots?
When were they last wormed?

Are you able to post photos please?

coachwood · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 8:17 am

Hi,

Thanks for replying.

They are a commerical x breed.

It has been going on for months so I don't think it is moulting and there are no pin feathers coming through just the red skin which looks painful but doesn't seem to be. Once the feathers are gone the skin stays bald for weeks and weeks.

One of the flocks has a couple of faverolles in the pen too and they don't seem to get it.

All female no roosters around.

Am visiting one lot this afternoon so I will get some photos and post them.

Thanks,

Kate

Roova · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 8:48 am

Its odd if they're healthy in every other way. I still have sneaking suspicioun its moult related, those commercial chooks just pump out eggs to the detriment of everything else sometimes.

You could try adding some Livamol to their feed which is a general livestock feed supplement - it's got proteins and vitamins and oily seeds and molasses etc. It's not medication, but a supplement - often promoted for putting condition on horses. I've heard a few people swear by it for helping their chooks through moults. They get quite fast refeathering and a quicker return to egg laying. Not an issue in your case because youre girls haven't stopped laying

Yell out if you need help getting the photos on?

chookee · **Joined:** Wed May 12, 2010 4:06 pm **Posts:** 6

Hello i have the same problem with my RIR bantam Rooster. He has raised red skin on front of his neck there are signs of feathers starting to come back. the area is soft but very red. he also has red area on his knee joints. his girlfriend is fine and so are the hens next to him so must not be mites. Have been putting vasoline on him to keep it soft and may be help it..... any thoughts would be good. have treated them for lice with prestene and wormed them. HELP.

Thelma · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 11:39 am **Posts:** 2

I would have thought mites they bite the skin and they do make the area red

Roova · **Posted:** Fri May 28, 2010 4:51 pm

Coachwood, have you examined the chooks for external parasites? Picked them up and looked through their feathers for moving mites? Check the vent area especially as you can get egg sacks which cling together and can be easy to see if they've been building up.

If you haven't already done it, maybe tonight you could go out well after the chooks have roosted and run your hand along the underside of the perch. (You might want to wear a glove!). If your hand comes away with blood then you have a mite problem.

Have you treated for external parasites at all?

I can't find any information on fungal conditions in poultry, there must be something out there, but I can't find it easily. I can only presume it isn't that common.

How'd you go with the photos?

coachwood · **Posted:** Fri May 28, 2010 5:10 pm

Hi,
I couldn't make it out to the property with the chooks yesterday so I'll have to post photos another time.

I think they have treated for mites and washed out pens and changed the type of bedding to sawdust from straw.

What would you recommend for treating mites ?

I'll get more info on Monday. I'll also tell everyone to treat for mites and see how we go.

Thanks

chookee · **Joined:** Wed May 12, 2010 4:06 pm **Posts:** 6

hello i have treated for external mites and worms etc none of my other chooks have it and he seems fine. no mites in pen or on him. will just keep appling vasoline to the sites at least i will feel like im doing something. will try and post a pic soon. [smilie=a_withstupid.gif]

Roova · **Posted:** Sat May 29, 2010 7:11 am

Assuming they have been treated appropriately for external and internal parasites then maybe the problem is dietary? I can't see how three different flock could all have a fungal disease? I'm sure stranger things have happened, but it does seem odd.

Is everyone feeding the same brand feed? Maybe the protein content is too low to help them regrow feathers properly? Sometimes over feeding scraps and treats change the minerals and nutrients they are absorbing from their pellets, etc and might be affecting their protein intake.

I've been reading some really good things recently about Livamol. Its a mineral supplement being used by a few people to help their chooks come out of moult quicker. From what I read their chooks refeather much quicker and have shiny glossy new feathers. There are a few approaches to feeding it, adding it to mash, adding it to dry food and having it available ad lib (which is probably the easiest). Maybe these three families can share a bag and see how it helps the chooks? Or just one of them could try it to see if it makes a change?

Some stock feed places will sell it otherwise I'm pretty sure ebay does.

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

feather loss and raised red skin ???

Who is on the Forum