[JaxAT]

My light sussex cockerel has a rash on his back end.  He appeared to start moulting a few weeks ago - lost his big tail feathers and a few round the neck.  He's just over a year old, so not moulted before.  He's perfectly happy, chases his girls, crows for ages and drop kicks us if we are naughty! 

Just when we did the regular check couple of weeks ago, we found the area below his vent is bald and red - almost same colour and texture as his comb.  The feather follicles are slightly raised and red, but only around his back end. 

We found red mite in the hen house approx 6 weeks ago and I've been cleaning and spraying with poultry shield and diatom every 6-7 days since then, now virtually gone.

So - is the rash a reaction to red mites, symptoms of depluming mite (but we've looked and looked and can't find any mites/lice or anything odd) or has he got a skin allergy?

I've bathed him in dog shampoo with permethrin (he sooooo hated that experience) and sprayed him with Johnson's Mite spray - permethrin again.  It's not gtting worse or better.

Anyone got any ideas?  I'm puzzled.

Thanks Jax

[kitkat]

Hello, are the girls pecking at his bald patch?
  I have been fostering a hen and a cockerel,the hen came with bad cockerel damage, but not from this cockerel- she wouldn't let him tread After 7 weeks her back was still very red, with only a couple of feathers growing through.

[IMOmimey]

I had a similar problem with my Araucana cockerel after moulting. his 2 wives were also going tatty from treading, and I wondered if it was cos of the treading, rubbing the newly growing feathers.
I put nappy cream on his red raw bum, and seperated him from the ladies for 2 weeks. His bum cleared up, allowing his new feathers to come through, and the girlies seemed to appreciate the rest too!

[JaxAT]

e's not getting pecked by the any of the girls, so we'll give nappy cream a go and separate him for a while - he's too amorous with his girls anyway so a rest might be good for them, and a couple of them have gone broody and one of them (at least one) is moulting, looks they had a pillow fight in the hen house this morning.  Thanks for the advce.