Feather Plucking.....Bored/Stressed Chickens?

[honeydoll]

Quote:
Pressure washing maybe optimum but in a cold winter climate it is not practical. So in that situation this is what I would do: you can use Sevin dust or they have poultry dust at TSC, where I am at it only cost 5.99 for one container, you will need two for your birds and coop. The little red mites can be real boogers to get rid of. Clean out all nest boxes. THen dust birds, clean out old mulch, (I dust my old mulch and throw it in the run, just to help insure kill off of mites), then add dust to bare floor (even if dirt), dust roosts, everything, even two feet of the lower half of your wall. Just avoid getting dust in their food and water as much as possible. The dust says not to put in nest boxes so it doesn't get on eggs, but lots of people do put it in the nest boxes because usually mites are there as well. THis is how I was intructed to treat for mites last summer, I enede up not having them. Just recently had a lice scare and this is what I did and there has been no problems with lice so far. There is no withdraw period of eggs doing this method. Some use Adams spray to treat birds and area. It's all a matter of preference. Hope this helps. I have heard that with the Adams spray some people throw eggs out for two weeks others say no need to. Never used that, so I don't know.

Carolyn

So the Adams spray makes you throw out eggs, but the sevin you eat the eggs right away? Sevin/Carbyl makes for fragile shells in wild birds, but you all seem to have no problem using it around chickens.

Cindy, I did not use Sevin, I used the poultry dust. It is specifically designed for use on Chickens and the such, I don't know if Sevin can make egg shells fragile, I haven't used it. Many on here have and I have never heard that as a complaint. Something for the OP to look into.

 

[waryyear950]

Do you have a clear heat light. I have a problem with pecking when i use a clear heat lamp. They don"t sleep right and they start to peck on each other. A red one calms them down, and they even lay better.

 

[chicksnhorses]

Well, yesterday afternoon, I picked up four of my worst looking hens that have light colored feathers and looked for mites. It is unbelievable just how small those mites are! They literally are the size of a perios on my computer screen. Sure can understand how someone can miss them on their birds.

Anyway, I finally saw what I thought were some mites on one of my orpingtons and I managed to get one on my fingernail while my hen was squirming! Well, the tiny black speck FINALLY crawled, so I know it was a mite. Then I checked the eggs in the nest boxes and found several live mites on those, as well.

So, now all this is making me think they are Northern Fowl Mites and not Red Mites. From what I understand, you don't find Red Mites on birds during the day only at night and usually not on eggs. Further research on my part has shown that Red Mites are more of a southern warmer climate thing and Northern Fowl Mites are more of a problem here in the freezer section of the country!

My head is literally swimming from all the research I have done and I have concluded that tonight we are putting two drops of Frontline Plus on each bird while they roost. Unfortunately, with our weather the way it is right now, stripping and pressure washing my coop is not even an option. If I can give my birds some relief for now, I will be happy. Once it warms up a bit and I can strip the coop, I will do so then.

I read so much stuff on the dusting that I don't think I want to use it. I hate using chemicals indiscriminately. I hate the thought of the birds and myself breathing all that chemical dust. It's bad enough out there with the DE. At least with the Frontline, I won't be killing anything but bugs on my birds.

I did also buy some Streseez and started them on it in their water this morning. Hopefully, the extra vitamins and minerals will perk them up and getting them going on regrowing feathers. I can't hardly find anything for chickens in our feed stores around here and I didn't want to wait a week to order something for them through the mail. I did also get some 22% protein chick starter and mixed it in with their layer feed. I am hoping the extra protein gives them a boost. Gotta say, they loved it! I am hoping they get back on their feed. They were gobbling it up earlier in the winter (treats and all), but the last 2 months or so, they really have slowed down. I did read that can be a problem with mites, too.

I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[big medicine]

Just curious, how many of you having picking issues are feeding Purina plant based protien feeds ? Used to feed Purina, after they switched formulas, started to have picking problems, especially growing chicks. After a couple of years of that, I switched to a locally produced feed that used animal protien. Huge difference.

 

[sprinkles]

Hi folks. This is my first post here. I too have had the plucking problem. To the point that one hen had to into ICU. All that kept her insides in was the thin membrane under the skin. It all started after I supplied the girls with cat food to help them with their molt. And the only way I could help fix it, was to pick the pluckers in their own pen. Needles to say, those 4 birds are darn near naked and will be in the freezer soon. I didn't do the white vinegar treatment. But I did pick up their protein and did everything else under the sun. There were 22 birds in a 5*20 coop. Which is probably a little small for them. Now it's down to 18 birds.

What I have going on now though is some of the hens are getting runs. And looks like a white milk with some half solid in it. Any ideas on that?