Bald Chickens for 7 months!

[Mulemom]

Ok...I've posted on this before, but still have the probelm. My girls started "molting" around Nov, and never got their feathers back. Some have small bald spots above their tails and on the front of their necks. Some have huge bald spots and naked necks! One looks more like a rubber chicken then a real one!

I've tried DE & Sevin. Finally took the worst one to the vet. My country vet won't see chickens. Had to take her an hour and a half into a bigger town to a "bird specialist" who admits she dosen't see many chickens either, but would at least agree to see her. She looked at feathers and skin under microscope and could not find any parasites. She looked at poop and still could see nothing, but on the advice of the head of the poultry dept at UC Davis suggested worming with ivermectin bovine solution.

Does this sound right?

I have VERY small seringes and instructions to give each bird .01 cc for every pound of weight oraly.

I am getting ready to do that at bed time tonight. I know I probably need to throw away the eggs for a while. Anyone know how long?

Any other suggestions????

Thanks!

 

[Pine Grove]

You've got feather pickers, Maybe someone else has some advice for you..I very seldom have a feather picker, and when I do they are culled

 

[Mulemom]

They're not picking. I kept them blue for three weeks thinking that they might be picking at each other, but it didn't make a difference.

Has anyone ever heard of Circle Virus? That is what my vet first thought, but then the other vet she talked to (the chicken expert) said that it was not in California.

 

[Pine Grove]

Circovirus(beak and feather disease) Im pretty sure only occurs in parrot type birds, There is a virsus similar to it that effects chickens, but there is no feather loss..Im pretty sure that if you separated one for a couple of weeks , you would start seeing new feather growth

 

[d.k]

*How many chickens are we talking, MM?? and what do you feed them?

 

[Mulemom]

22 hens, 1 roo, 1 pullet. The pullet is in with the general population for about three weeks now and not seeing any signs of feather loss. The King Louis, the roo, came from the SPCA well after the feather loss started. He had been living by himself in a dog run for well over a month before he jumped into my arms and begged me to take him home. He was a beautiful roo, but is now suffering a minor case of the same feather loss as the girls. The Black Australorps seem to have it the worst. The BR's have big bald spots on their backs and necks, but the RIR's just have tiny bald spots on their backs above their tails.

They are just 1 yr this month.

When it first started, I gave them lots of kitty chow and BOSS. I have backed off the kitty chow for a couple of months, because someone suggested that they may be getting too much protien. They get layer crumble and oyster shell free choice. They free range a couple of hours in the evening. They hang out in the pen with the horse and three mules and love to scratch thru their poop for yummy bugs.

Is it possible that worms could cause feather loss?

 

[Poison Ivy]

Here is a site that gives you the amounts to use. I just place the drops on the back of the neck.

http://shilala.homestead.com/ivomec.html

 

[d.k]

* I haven't heard of g.i. parasites causing feather loss but . . . ?? I haven't heard of 7 months of molting either. Have you tried adding some flaxseed or some flaxseed oil to their food?? What does the skin look like in the balding areas???

 

[Mulemom]

Some of them are completely bald in the bald areas, some of them have new feather grownth, but it never seems to come all the way in. Poor Sweety Pie looks like she's getting herself ready for a BBQ!

 

[d.k]

* I would definitely start them on some flaxseed-- say a 1/2 teaspn. Per bird Per day. You should be able to tell if it's helping in about 1O days, but if it is, keep feeding it for about 6 weeks at least. The other thing to try is a pinch of kelp per bird per day. They may need iodine. Are they scratching at themselves?? What about sun, is their run in mostly sun or is there a lot of shade?? How much fog do you get there?? You gave the kitty food, do you still have the bag?? How much vit. A is in it?? Do you feed alfalfa to the other animals?? Between the cat food and the alfalfa (if any) the birds may have gotten too much vit. A. That could take a very long time to diminish from their livers, and too much vit. A will stunt feather growth for sure.