EggstraSpecial wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 12:07 am Today during my routine egg collection, I noticed that one of my 3-month-old pullets had a bloody vent and her tail feathers were plucked out. I suspect that the feather loss might be from pecking, possibly triggered by the bloody vent. However, Im also concerned because her vent appears much more open than I would expect for a pullet her age.
She lives in a 530-square-foot greenhouse with 56 other chickens and is on a high-protein diet consisting of a mix of high-protein layer feed and unmedicated chick feed. She seems lethargic, but there is no discharge, prolapse, or visible tissue damagejust the bloody vent and missing feathers. I also haven't noticed any feces from her.
Ive moved her into our insulated (but not heated) garage to observe her more closely and see if shes eating or drinking. I also noticed that the skin under her vent seems thin.
Does anyone have any insight into what could be causing this? Could this be pecking-related, an internal issue, or something else entirely?
Any advice on treatment or what to watch for next would be greatly appreciated!
High-protein feed is great, but if she's getting layer feed at this age, the extra calcium might be causing issues. Too much calcium too soon can affect internal development.
