A variety of feather problems

[doccos1]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for thoughts and advice about some feather loss problems my flock is having. I have 7 hens and they all have different symptoms.
1 hen has lost all the feathers on her rump and in a collar around her neck. The skin looks red and irritated.
Another hen has blister like sores on the "elbows" of her wings and it appears she is chewing the feathers in the irritated areas.
The other hens seem to have similar irritations as the second hen I described. The first hen has the largest bald spots.
I don't see signs of mites or lice but I dusted the chickens and the coop just to be safe.
There hasn't been a drop off in egg production although someone has started laying shell-less eggs.
Also, one or more of my ladies is suffering from diarrhea.

 

[jlwquilter]

I’m really new at this and I hope some of the experts chime in!

My first thoughts were mites/lice and nutrition deficiency. I’m glad you dusted the hens. Did you also spray the coop?

 

[azygous]

Is there a rooster in the flock? The photo looks like rooster mating damage. Mites do not live on the chicken, but come out at night to feast. Go out there after dark and run a damp white cloth or paper towel over the perches. If it comes away with red smears, you have mites. A single dusting isn't going to be enough to get rid of them.

That blister in the midst of the feather damage looks like it could be an ingrown feather. Look carefully for a "U" shaped emerging pin feather that may need to be freed up.

 

[dawg53]

Also, is there enough space inside the coop for roosting and have you noticed any feather picking or any of them eating fluff or feathers?

 

[doccos1]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I did dust the coop at the same time I dusted the hens, about two weeks ago. I was going to to it again today after a thorough cleaning, but maybe I'll wait and try the damp clothe idea tonight.
I'll also check for in grown feathers, that's a good suggestion.
There's no rooster. We're urban homesteaders and roosters aren't allowed in our area.
The coop and run seem to have plenty of roosting space. The girls don't seem crowded at all. But all of them have been plucking fluff and feathers lately.
As to nutrition, I feed the Kalmbachs layer pellets, occasionally Southern States All Grain when I'm in that area, and they get to free range over our 1/4 acre yard most days.
Thank you again for all the suggestions. Please keep them coming, I'm open to all ideas.
Cheers!
Steve

 

[Cryss]

Space is most often the reason for feather problems. Can you give us some details so we can better understand what's happening?
How big is the coop? How big is the run? How many chickens do you have? Are they standard or are they bantys? How many feet of roosting perch do they have? Pictures of inside the coop and run would be very helpful.

 

[doccos1]

Good morning Cryss, thanks for your questions.
They are all standard chickens. 2 buff orphingtons, 1lavender

 

[doccos1]

Sorry, finger slipped.
...1 lavender orphington, 2 golden laced wyendots, and 2 amercaunas. 7 total.
The coop is 4'x6' with one 6' roost and two 4' roosts. At night I usually find 5 hens on the 6' roost and 2 sharing one of the 4' roosts.
The run is about 8' square. Our yard that the have the run of most days is about 15,000 sqft.

 

[so lucky]

Do you use any chemicals on your lawn that could be causing these reactions? Pesticides, fertilizers? Weed killers?

 

[azygous]

The red irritated skin points to poultry mites. Chickens bite and scratch at irritations just as cats and dogs do. Also, some people.

Nutrition may also play a role in how well a chicken's body responds to parasites, both external and internal. I am going to assume your feed brands are locally milled products as I don't recognized them. Can you look at the ingredients and check the protein content? It should be above 18%.

An excellent product for treating skin lesions and skin irritations is Vetericyn. Get it from any feed store or online. It's a spray and very convenient to squirt on the chickens sore places several times a day for healing and relief.

You might also consider having a fecal float test done on a random sample of poop from the flock to check for internal parasites. They can have an effect on feather quality when they sap the chicken's reserves. Your vet can do it for a nominal fee even though they don't treat chickens. If the sample is positive, then a product such as Ivermectin can treat both internal and any external parasites found on the chicken.

If you discover coop mites, or even poultry ticks which can be an even bigger problem than mites, you will need to use a poultry premises treatment such as liquid permethrin or spinosad (ElectorPSP). These parasites are incredibly stubborn and hide deep in cracks and crevices, requiring some very deep spraying.