Issue with my naked-butt chicken
Our take
Winter can be a cruel mistress for our feathered friends, especially when temperatures plunge to a bone-chilling -20 degrees. During such harsh conditions, many of us confine our chickens for their safety, but sometimes, even the coziest coops can lead to unexpected issues. One unfortunate chicken in particular, a Barred Rock, has been left with a bare backside after battling poop balls and the stress of confinement. Despite efforts to heal her, including using hen healer paste and a saddle coat, she’s now not only featherless but also facing bullying from her fellow flock members. Concerned about potential frostbite and her overall well-being, the owner seeks advice on helping her regrow feathers and stop the pecking. Have you faced this chicken dilemma?
When your feathered friends start showing signs of bare-bottom syndrome, it’s enough to make any chicken keeper feel like they’re caught in a game of fowl hide-and-seek with their own coops. Update on sick chicken: read and learn reminds us that sometimes our chickens need a little extra TLC, just like the situation we’re seeing with this poor barred rock dealing with the aftermath of an egg-ceptionally harsh winter. What is going on here and what do I do? asks the question we’ve all wondered when something seems off with our flock, and My hen is recovering well from her frostbite and injuries from getting stuck in a fence! shows us that recovery is possible with patience and proper care.
The reality is that severe winter stress can create a perfect storm of problems that extend far beyond frozen water dishes and cracked combs. When chickens are cooped up for extended periods with limited movement and increased stress, their digestive systems can get a bit… backed up, so to speak. Those poop balls that formed on these birds’ fluffy hindquarters weren’t just unsightly – they created a breeding ground for irritation, infection, and ultimately feather loss that may not grow back easily. The fact that only some feathers returned while others remained mysteriously absent suggests this wasn’t just routine molting, but rather damage to the follicles themselves. This kind of trauma often requires months of careful monitoring and supportive care to see full recovery.
What makes this situation particularly cluck-tastic is how quickly it spiraled from a minor hygiene issue into a full-blown social crisis within the flock. Chickens are notorious for their ability to spot weakness or difference, and a bare-bottomed bird becomes an easy target for relentless pecking. The bullying behavior isn’t just heartbreaking to watch – it’s genuinely dangerous, as we saw when blood appeared near the vent area. The owner’s quick thinking to isolate the hen and treat the wound was egg-cellent crisis management, but it also highlights how one small problem can cascade into a much larger health concern that affects the entire flock dynamic.
Looking ahead, this case raises important questions about long-term flock management during extreme weather events. Will this hen’s feathers eventually grow back completely, or will she need special accommodations indefinitely? More importantly, how can we better prepare our coops and care routines to prevent these situations before they start? The answer likely involves a combination of improved ventilation during confinement periods, more frequent cleaning schedules, and perhaps most importantly, recognizing that our feathered friends need mental stimulation and exercise even when winter weather keeps them indoors. As climate patterns continue shifting toward more extreme temperature swings, stories like this remind us that being prepared means thinking beyond basic survival to maintaining quality of life throughout the toughest seasons.
 | As you well know if you life in the northern part of the US, this last winter was rough. We had a large stretch where it was -20 degrees plus. During that time, things were tough. I confined by birds to the inner coop for their safety, and brought them out hot water ever couple of hours. During this time, while everyone was inside and stressed, two of my chickens somehow got a poop balls on the fluffy feathers on their butts. I couldn't get them what to bathe them, so I tried working them with my fingers and breaking them off a bit. Eventually, two of my birds had feathers rip off their butts with poop balls. I used hen healer paste on them to cover their butts the rest of the winter, but this barred rock never grew those feathers back. Her butt is also somewhat chapped looking. My fear is that she got slight frostbite on her butt. Since then, she's been getting picked on. I put a saddle coat on her to cover her body, but they would pick at her bare butt. Today, I saw some blood near her vent, so I quickly removed her, cleaned the slight wound, sprayed her with silver spray, and rubbed the area with hen healer. Her poop is normal, she's active, eating and drinking. I checked her for parasites and found none. I saw no maggots or anything to make me think fly strike either. I think she has lost some weight, but I think it's because she's been broody and being bullied. I'm going to keep her in this kennel until she heals up a bit. Has anyone dealt with the bare butts? Why did only some of the feathers grow back since January? Will she be bare forever? How can I help her grow her feathers back so they stop picking on her? [link] [comments] |
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- Broken keel bone. Help needed.For 3 weeks, we thought she sprained her leg or dislocated something. But today I finally saw it, her sternum was crooked. I googled and found nothing more than the internet advice confirming that she will be in chronic pain, reluctant to move, decreased appetite. There were no advices on how to manage or help heal her injuries. So I've turned to reddit. I have a few pictures and videos that I think might help. She's a 19-20 week feral hen of junglefowl and some domestic breed. This is likely her maximum size, slightly less than 500g, or ~1 pound. No eggs so far, the chicks that appear are other rescues. All of them were picked up by landscapers. Their mothers were scared off by the chainsaws and what not, so they gave out the lost chicks. One morning, I went to feed them and found her worm crawling, flapping on the floor trying to get to the food. I thought it was her legs that sprained, dislocated or broke, but I never found any swelling, blood under the skin or odd bends that indicated any of those. I never thought to look at her sternum. So I poked two holes in a spare towel, put her legs through, and tied her wings to her body to stop her from breaking out. I then tied a string to the towel hammock and hung it up. She spent most of her time suspended. Other injuries: She escaped a few times, and managed to scrape some skin off when she struggled on the ground. Last week her hammock unraveled and trapped her poop with her. It gave her diaper rash, I think. Her skin was reddened for a few days. Now it's a little pink. Food: Initially, she was depressed, refused to eat or move. I managed to entice her to eat by offering mealworms. Her appetite is a little better now. She rejects larger food such as whole soybeans and peanuts. They mainly eat crushed corn, and various mixed seeds. I saw on the internet on chicken care that people were feeding them fermented meal by soaking them in water. I did the same, monitored the smell, and fed them to the chicks/chickens. Their protein and calcium demands were met by fish meal. Pet multivitamin crushed in their food. Commercial chicken grit freeflow. Bedding: Kitty litter. Large wood pellets. They have not shown any interest in eating the litter, despite some warnings on the internet. They scrape and kick the pellets for dropped seeds, so it looks like they are having enrichment and fun with it. Injury suspect: I think the other chickens jumped on her back. Ever since they were chicks, they preferred jumping on the back of another instead of the ground. They also bicker over the best perch even though I've given them plenty of perches the same height. Or she could have jumped down and landed wrong. Her leg splays out, in different directions and often straight. She often only moves around the moment before she has to poop, which results in her rolling or dragging herself in her poop whenever I hang her too low so I can set her to half squat instead of splaying straight. For the last few weeks, while she was incapacitated, I massaged her with Epsom salt bath(I though she had a sprain). Then dried her and gave her excersises, in a cycling motion, one leg, the other leg, than both together. She was so reluctant to move her legs that her muscles seemed to atrophy. Her legs got thinner, left limp and right stiff, then last week, left stiff and right limp. We began thinking that she forgot how to walk. Now, I changed her harness support. She lies on straight bars, to align her keel. Her legs dangle down. Some weight is taken off her belly with the same stringing of her harness. She can no longer spin in circles and her poop mostly collect in the same place. P.s The chicks aren't hers, they are other rescues. She's an unwitting foster mom and finds no joy in hanging around the chicks. The chicks are very dependant on her and will begin crying loudly if they don't see her. She ignores them. Do I have anything to change or be aware of? I'll appreciate any piece of advice anyone can give. submitted by /u/EpilepticMushrooms [link] [comments]