Chicken head and tail drooping

[LightAurora589]

Update: she is back together with her two friends and seems to be doing much better and also laying the giant eggs she used to be known for, not sure if she is completely out of the woods, I remain vigilant. But that being said she is doing better. Does anyone know of a good sunscreen or cover I can use to keep a chickens bare skin from being burned by the sunlight?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update: she is back together with her two friends and seems to be doing much better and also laying the giant eggs she used to be known for, not sure if she is completely out of the woods, I remain vigilant. But that being said she is doing better. Does anyone know of a good sunscreen or cover I can use to keep a chickens bare skin from being burned by the sunlight?

Glad to hear she's back with her friends.

You can put a hen saddle on her to help protect her back if it's bare.

 

[LightAurora589]

Glad to hear she's back with her friends.

You can put a hen saddle on her to help protect her back if it's bare.

Could I make my own cover, also its her belly thats bare, the three of my girls seem to lose feathers and don't seem to grow them back, I know it isn't featherlice or mites, recently I used permathin to kill everything. and I always used Damascus earth. Also, only my youngest hen was infected and she doesn't live with them since they always fight. I need to get her a friend.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You could make your own saddle, google for hen saddle patterns, I'm sure you'll find some.

Bare belly can often be from rubbing the feathers off while roosting. Take a look to see if the bars need sanding down.
Permethrin is good to use for lice/mites, it does need to be repeated in 7 day intervals a couple of times to kill any nits that hatch. Housing needs to be treated as well.
Diatomaceous Earth, is not that effective against and infestation, so it's good that you used Permethrin.

 

[LightAurora589]

So should I apply Permethrin again?

 

[LightAurora589]

Here are the hens' poop. Does it look alright?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The poop doesn't look to bad to me. Quite a bit of fibrous material in there, she's got grit available right?

You would want to do a follow up with the Permethrin if you've only treated once, the follow up is to help eliminate lice and mites that may hatch. Permethrin doesn't kill the eggs.

 

[LightAurora589]

I am not sure they really got grit, only grass and the pellets protein feed I got for them, I am tight on a budget but is there anything for a decent price or that I can make myself?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have lot of small rocks in your soil? They may be able to find suitable grit dirt.

 

[LightAurora589]

I bought some grit guys, giving it to them every now and than to make sure they digest better, what is a good schedule for feeding them grit should it always be available?