[Spacey]

One of our chickens has developed a bald bum today. Her bum looks like she is now oven ready!! She is laying eggs daily and has been since she came into lay 4 weeks ago.  She is eating well, and talks to me when i go out. Should we worry? The other three girls all appear to be fully feathered.

[snowflake]

sounds like lice, they lay the eggs around the vent of a hen and glue the eggs to the base of the feathers. Hens try and clean the feathers often pulling the feathers out. feathers will regrow you may have to wait untill they moult. Sprays and powders to puff to kill them I cannot remember the life cycle of lice but done every few days for a couple of weeks should do it. check the other hens as well if one has it they will all get them also keep an eye out for red mite these little devils are deadly.

[Spacey]

Thanks, I did a thorough mite check in all the nooks and crannies and couldn't find anything amiss. I had a good look at poor Chooky's bare bits and couldn't see anything unusual there either. I'll go out and have another look in a bit. I'll diatom them all anyway, it can't hurt. 

[snowflake]

or there is this very effective

Link removed - please don't post huge long links to ebay as it breaks the layout. Just tell us what the product is or use the URL link function on the post menu. No biggie, but it helps 

[SMD66]

could one of the other hens be plucking her?

[snowflake]

sorry  this is the product : IVERMECTIN-DROPS-0-8-10ml-SPOT-ON-TREATMENT
the strength is 0.8 does pigons and parrots bought from ebay, pet shops or online.
its like frountline for dogs, poultry keepers been using it for years.

[Spacey]

I haven't noticed anyone plucking her. She does look plucked    She is laying quite large eggs and I wondered if she had been uncomfortable and plucked herself thinking it would relieve her discomfort. 

[kimT]

One of my girls has a bare bum but thats because she is moulting. There are feathers all over the garden and it looks like there has been a pillow fight!

[Dave W]

Hi, same sort of issues with my chickens. I have five birds, all ladies, laying reasonably well for their age. Four are almost bald underneath, around the bum and up the back. The one who has got feathers isn't the one to peck all the others so I'm not sure that it's just bullying/pecking order. I have treated for mites, they have a large and exciting area to roam in, things hung up, log piles etc. They all roost and lay in the same bedding area. Diet is varied, water is plentiful, do they get sunburn?

Any suggestions would be useful, they look quite distressing but appear happy enough doing what chickens do.

Dave.