The cause of hair loss and how to eliminate it

Why chickens and chicken asses are balding, it’s impossible to answer precisely and immediately. It is necessary to carefully understand the nutrition of laying hens and the rooster, whether all the conditions of their maintenance are met and whether parasites are wound on the back of the trunk, back or wings of 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

chickens are good helpers in the household, production of meat and domestic eggs. Many of them are pleased with their appearance, plumage and proud gait. But it’s worth the alarm when the pet starts to thin, feathers fall out – the chickens go bald. This not only an aesthetic issue is important o pay attention to livestock health.

Symptoms of chicken baldness

Alopecia is the scientific name for chicken baldness.

When When describing this ailment, thematic photos very clearly demonstrate how infected birds look, and 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 rooster, and the treatment will be short-lived. You can confuse alopecia with natural molting : first the head balds in places, and then the whole body. During this period, the lower layer of feathers falls out, and the hens need special feeding and care.

But if the feather cover begins to fall abundantly on the neck and back? these are the first signs of alopecia.If treatment is not started, then for a short period the wings of the chickens are bald, from the scallop to the tail, the head goes bald first. In the photo, they will become similar to the famous broiler Israeli breed of chickens. This is an unusual and completely unusual breed for us – absolutely bald chickens, they look especially intimidating 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 have a place, like other bald animals or albinos. I must say that they still do not really succeed.

During the period of alopecia, chickens have reduced immunity, weight decreases, menstruation disappears, egg production falls, and egg quality deteriorates. Due to bare patches on the skin, hens can develop cannibalism . Other chickens will simply peck at a sick laying hen, wounds will appear and an infection or sore may be introduced there.

Causes of Alopecia

Why do chickens go bald? Many beginning farmers do not even realize about such a problem until they personally face it.

There is not much time, because the disease develops very quickly and the chickens just go bald. After finding out the cause of the disease, you need to choose the right treatment, otherwise bald birds can die. There are a number of factors that contribute to this:

1. Improper diet and lack of vitamins. It is worth reviewing the diet of chickens, perhaps they lack certain micronutrients.You should see the compatibility of certain products that you give the birds to feed. Some of them may not be suitable and should be used as a separate lure.
2. The amount of feed. Farmers forget about additional feeding, especially during natural molting. It is necessary to increase the dose of products, give more vitamins. This will compensate for the dropping of feathers and will not lead to alopecia.
3. Non-compliance with the conditions of detention. Many neglect the elementary rules of 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 in the room and change the bedding .
4. Vitamin D deficiency. Its large amount is contained in sunlight. In the warm season, chickens should be kept at least 12 hours long, their productivity depends on this. In winter, it is especially worth taking care of lighting, you can hang an ordinary or ultraviolet light bulb. The main thing is that it be with a reddish tint, this light is more like birds and has a beneficial effect on their health.
5. Parasites . There is such a type of parasites – down-eaters. These are insects, somewhat similar to lice and fleas. Only they feed on feathers and particles of feathered skin, most often the back, neck, head of a bird suffers. The resulting wounds provoke infection with other infections.A strong progression of the disease leads to the fact that the bird makes self-biting, which sometimes leads to cannibalism among chickens. These parasites are very tenacious, bring their victim to exhaustion and death. It is impossible to consider what the pest looks like with the naked eye, it can only be seen in the photo. But there are several ways to deal with it. You can smear the feathers of the hens with chlorophos or dust, or you can put a trough with ash mixed with a little sand in which the hens will bathe and the parasites themselves will leave. The main thing is to ensure that they do not jump on other birds, to carry out prophylaxis.

These are the 5 main factors affecting baldness of chickens. To avoid problems in the question of why the chickens are balding, it is enough to monitor the feeding of birds, daily walking and sanitary conditions should be in accordance with the norm. As soon as deviations in the behavior of the hens become noticeable, it is necessary to call a veterinarian. He will tell you what the problem is, give advice on how to treat them. The photo shows in particular that the laying hen, suffering from symptoms of allopecia, is extremely exhausted and looks very poor. But if you take measures in time, the chickens will please the owner with their appearance and healthy activity.

Although the hens are not fastidious in food and content, they, like any other domestic inhabitants, need to be monitored and looked after. If you want the birds to be healthy, give consistently tasty eggs and meat, you need to make a lot of effort.

Prevention of baldness of chickens

There are several ways to prevent baldness of chickens. From the above reasons for alopecia, we can conclude 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 chicken coop: this will help to avoid the appearance of bald chickens: this way the birds will receive both vitamins and proper lighting. Feather flour (contains vitamin cystine), flour from ground bones of meat and fish (contains organic sulfur) will help to make nutrition balanced. You can buy various injections in veterinary pharmacies or what your doctor will prescribe.

It is important to monitor the presence of water in hens. You should get rid of a 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 helps to improve and strengthen feathers and bones in birds.

And, of course, it is important to detect the first symptoms of infection and immediately respond to them. In the early stages, you can do without injections, but just review the food, conditions of detention, improving them.

Conclusion

Why hens often go bald. The causes of baldness in chickens are not always parasites or bacteria. More often than not, the farmer himself forgets to give vitamins to layers, to clean in the chicken coop, to ventilate it and the like.Sometimes there is no time for this or just laziness. Many do not even realize about such a problem as alopecia, until they come across it by personal example. It can affect any breed (even broilers), in the 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 need to understand first because of the disease, which was the main factor in the development of the disease. Maybe a moment was missed during the molting period, when the body of adults, young animals and chickens is more vulnerable and only the back is bald in hens. A caring owner will periodically carry out prophylaxis not only against baldness, but also from other diseases and parasites, as a result of which the hens will further decorate the yard, give high-quality and good products, and most importantly – be healthy pets.