The cause of hair loss in chickens and how to fix it
Why chickens and chicken asses go bald, it will not be possible to answer accurately and immediately. It is necessary to carefully understand the nutrition of the laying hens and the rooster, whether all the conditions for their maintenance are met and whether parasites have bred on the back of the body, back or wings of the birds. You can get rid of this ailment by contacting a veterinarian who will tell you what to do and what is the reason.
Why do chickens go bald
chickens are good helpers in the household, meat and egg production. They delight many with their appearance, plumage and proud gait. But it is worth sounding the alarm when the pet begins to thin out, feathers fall out - the chickens go bald. This is not only an aesthetic issue, it is important to pay attention to the health of the livestock.
Symptoms of hair loss in chickens
Alopecia is the scientific name for hair loss in chickens.
When describing this ailment, thematic photos very clearly demonstrate what infected birds look like. It is better to detect this type of parasitic invasion in the early stages of the disease. So there is a chance to prevent complete baldness of hens and roosters, and the treatment will be short-lived. Alopecia can be confused with natural molt: First, the head becomes bald in places, and then the whole body. During this period, the lower layer of feathers falls out, and the chickens need special feeding and care.
But if the feathers began to fall out profusely on the neck and back? these are the first signs of alopecia. If you do not start treatment, then in a short period the wings of chickens will become bald, from the scallop to the tail, the head will go bald first. In the photo, they will look like the well-known Israeli broiler breed of chickens. This is an unusual and completely unusual breed for us - absolutely bald chickens, they look especially frightening in the photo. Broilers themselves are healthy, they are not susceptible to any disease. They have no plumage and scientists are trying to prove that such birds exist, like other bald animals or albinos. I must say that they are not very successful at this yet.
During the period of alopecia in chickens, immunity decreases, weight falls, menstruation disappears, egg production falls, and the quality of eggs deteriorates. Bare patches on the skin can cause chickens to develop cannibalism... Other chickens will simply peck at a sick laying hen, wounds will appear and an infection or sore may enter there.
Causes of alopecia
Why do chickens go bald? Many novice farmers do not even know about such a problem until they personally face it.
There is not much time, because the disease develops very quickly and the chickens simply go bald. Having learned the cause of the disease, you need to choose the right treatment, otherwise bald birds may die. There are a number of factors contributing to this:
- Improper diet and lack of vitamins. It is worth revising the diet of chickens, perhaps they lack certain micronutrients. You should check the compatibility of certain products that you give the birds for feed. Some of them may not be suitable and should be used as a separate complementary food.
- The amount of feed. Farmers forget about complementary feeding, especially during natural moulting. You need to increase the dose of food, give more vitamins.This will offset the shedding of feathers and will not lead to alopecia.
- Failure to comply with the conditions of detention. Many people neglect the elementary rules for keeping a chicken coop, believing that chickens are the most unpretentious and calm birds. This is a big mistake, you need to regularly clean the chicken coop, avoid unsanitary conditions, regularly ventilate the room and change bedding.
- Lack of vitamin D. Its large amount is found in sunlight. Chickens in the warm season should be walking for at least 12 hours, their productivity depends on this. In winter, it is especially worth taking care of the lighting; you can hang an ordinary or ultraviolet light bulb. The main thing is that it has a reddish tint, this light is more pleasant to birds and has a beneficial effect on their health.
- Parasites... There is such a type of parasites - puffy eaters. These are insects, somewhat similar to lice and fleas. Only they feed on feathers and particles of the skin of birds, most often the back, neck, and head of the bird suffer. The resulting wounds provoke infection with other infections. The strong progression of the disease leads to the fact that the bird makes self-dissemination, which sometimes leads to cannibalism among chickens. These parasites are very tenacious, bringing their victim to exhaustion and death. It is impossible to consider what the pest looks like with the naked eye, you can only see it in the photo. But there are several ways to deal with it. You can smear chicken feathers with chlorophos or dust, or you can put a trough with ash mixed with a small amount of sand, in which the chickens will bathe, and the parasites will leave on their own. The main thing is to make sure that they do not jump on other birds, to carry out prevention.
These are the 5 main factors affecting hair loss in chickens. To avoid problems in the question of why chickens go bald, it is enough to monitor the diet of birds, daily walking and sanitary conditions must comply with the norm. As soon as deviations in the behavior of the chickens become noticeable, it is necessary to call the veterinarian. He will tell you what the problem is, give advice on how to treat them. The photo in particular shows clearly that the hen, suffering from symptoms of alopecia, is extremely emaciated and looks very bad. But if you take action in time, the chickens will delight the owner with their appearance and healthy activity.
Although chickens are not whimsical in food and maintenance, they, like any other domestic inhabitants, need to be monitored and looked after. If you want your birds to be healthy, produce consistently tasty eggs and meat, it takes a lot of effort.
Prevention of baldness in chickens
There are several ways to prevent hair loss in chickens. From the above causes of alopecia, it can be concluded that proper nutrition, regular walks in the fresh air, swimming in the sun and keeping the chicken coop clean are the key to healthy birds and the best prevention.
To compensate for the lack of vitamin D in winter, you can install ultraviolet lamps inside the hen house: this will help prevent the appearance of bald chickens: this way the birds will receive both vitamins and proper lighting. Feather meal (contains vitamin cystine) will help to make the diet balanced, flour from ground meat bones and fish (contains organic sulfur), you can buy various injections from veterinary pharmacies or whatever your doctor prescribes.
It is important to monitor the presence of water in chickens. You should get rid of the metal drinker, it is better to replace it with a plastic or wooden one. Among other things, you need to add calcium to the diet in its various variations (gypsum, chalk). This contributes to the improvement and strengthening of feathers and bones in birds.
And, of course, it is important to detect the very first symptoms of infection and immediately respond to them. In the early stages, you can do without injections, but only revise the diet, conditions of detention, improving them.
Conclusion
Why do chickens often go bald? The causes of hair loss in chickens are not always parasites or bacteria.Most often, the farmer himself forgets to give vitamins to layers, clean in the hen house, ventilate it, and the like. Sometimes there is no time for this or just laziness. Many people do not even know about such a problem as alopecia until they encounter it by personal example. It can affect any breed (even broilers), in summer and winter, why and for what reason, it must be determined immediately, otherwise the bird may die. If you follow the basic rules and the above tips, you can avoid and stop the disease in time.
You must first understand the cause of the disease, which was the main factor in the development of the disease. Perhaps the moment was missed during the molting period, when the body of adults, young animals and chickens is more vulnerable and only the back of the hens becomes bald. A caring owner will periodically carry out prophylaxis not only against baldness, but also against other diseases and parasites, as a result of which the chickens will further decorate the yard, provide quality and good food, and most importantly, be healthy pets.