bald chicken!

[twilight]

Hi i have just been out to check my birds, i noticed one had a rather poey bum, when istarted to waash her bum i found her rather bare, when i turned her over she is comptley bald on her under side! Now i'm sure your wondering how i could not notice this before? She a pekin and to be sompltley honest i was absolutley shocked she seems to be fine when wondering around it's very disseving, she doesn't look bald at all. What causes this and what can i do for her? She doesn't seem to have any lice at all although at the root of a couple of fathers there are a couple of clumps of what looks like mud, could this be something else. I have cleaned her bum but the clumps descrided won't wash out they're very hard and they are too close to her skin to cut the feather.

I would be grateful of any help you can offer. thanks

 

[Judy]

Clumps at feather bases sounds like lice/mites eggs, though I suppose it could be mud. Won't hurt to get some poultry dust and dust them, if you haven't done so recently; chickens are going to get these things. Check her and the others at night while roosting, as some of these critters are only on the birds at night.

If you need any more help, it would be good to answer the questions in the sticky at the top of this forum.

Good luck.

 

[twilight]

what is the sticky?

Have some lice powder will check tonight. I only have 4 birds together and a mother hen and 3 chicks in a ark seperate. All the other birds look good, the house had a good clean just a few days ago and there was no sign of anything there.

Is it enough to powder if they are eggs? Will that kill the eggs or is it the same as with other things that you have to repeat after so long?

 

[Judy]

Sticky: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3569

You have to repeat. The powder kills the animals, not the eggs. You repeat in about 2 weeks to kill the critters that hatched from the eggs. If they are lice/mite eggs, there are still lice and mites around, I promise. They hide in every little crack and crevice. They are everywhere. A wild bird flying over can start it. Cleaning is good, of course, but if they are there, it takes more.

Here's the whole story on them:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[twilight]

Northern Fowl Mites
i was just looking online and although i can't see any kind of mites the clumps at the base of her featers looks like those from Northern Fowl Mites to me. Will treat as such and see what happens. Will her feathers come back? how long? We are having a wet summer in england and i'm worried about her getting cold.

 

[twilight]

definatley don't think it's red mite,
but the more i look i think some sort of critter.

 

[Judy]

If the feathers are broken off, they won't be replaced til after a molt. If they are completely out, they are supposed to come back; can't tell you how long. Chickens walk around in all sorts of weather with missing feathers for months. Wouldn't worry about that yet.