Can't shake these feather lice

[ErinG]

Also looking at these two photos now, her feathers look really bleached compared to a month ago. I'm guessing from anemia? I think something is sucking her blood pretty good.

 

[dawg53]

When I had BO's, mine looked like that prior to molt. I also had one that looked like that after a molt due to me worming her with fenbendazole during molt, a mistake on my part. They are your hens...I wish you the best, good luck.

 

[ErinG]

I didn't know you had to be careful with worming during a molt, what are the recommendations on that?

 

[Lollipop]

What about your other chickens? If one has them, they all do. To determine if you actually have lice/mites, pick one or two off the roost at night and look under their tail and around the vent with a good flashlight. If there are any, you will see them. As mentioned, Adams products are excellent. I have used Adams Flea and Tick Dip for infestations and it works wonders. The spray is great also. If none of the above applies, it has to be someting else and I would suspect feather picking. Of course, moulting has been mentioned. Moulting can occure at any time of the year, but is most likely in the Fall or early Winter. When I had my flock in south FL, they usually moulted in late summer. Keep looking, you will find the cause.........Pop

 

[ErinG]

Here are some more close ups to show that the feathers are still present. You can see right to her skin though. I'm not trying to be argumentative about this not being a molt, but she is not losing feathers and I'd like to know what's really going on. Is this not what feather lice do?

Also I remembered we found this on her when the problem started. None of the others had this. Strange orange material stuck to the base of her fluffy butt feathers - eggs? Parasite fecal material - maybe explaining the orange color? I don't see these on her now, but didn't have a helper to check really well.

 

[moondog425]

i had one do the same thing last fall and it turned out to be molting. It looked alot like your pics at first and lasted for ever probably over two months. I thought she was sick untill she lost almost all of her feathers and pepped up.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

not anything to do with the feathers being chewed on, but when you had mentioned her color fading...

Buff orps tend to fade really badly, especially before molt. their feathers get sunbleached alot worse than other chickens. i dont know why. But i dont think you have anything to worry about as far as that goes...

 

[ErinG]

Thanks for your thoughts. I hope that is what it is. Is it normal for feathers to get rough and faded before molting? In the newer areas that are starting, the feathers are not soft and are starting to fray, and get thin. You can see how it starts in the picture from one month ago posted earlier. This is only happening on her head and neck. As it progresses there is less and less feather until only the shaft is left.

 

[ErinG]

Got your post after I posted aubreynoramarie, thanks for that tip. One of our girls (about the same age) went through a partial molt a few weeks ago and she acted kind of depressed, white feathers flying all over the place, but no bald patches or dull feathers. Then she went back to normal. I'll keep my eyes open for orange feathers around.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:

I have no clue. Sounds like youve done a lot to kill pests? It really does look like feather picking to me but you are there to see that it does not go on so im super stumped