Chicken Manure dust feather damage

[Jewellan]

Hello this may sound like a idiot question but I would like to know if chicken manure dust can cause feather problems for chickens that make it look like they're being picked on I have an area that's very hard to clean and I'm wondering if the environment could be causing them to lose feathers there's no mites no lice just a lot of dust I know they dirt bathe on a regular basis so I'm kind of reluctant to believe this could be causing it but I wanted to ask

 

[Kiki]

I doubt it.
Can you post a few pics of your flock?
Have you double checked at night time with a flashlight for mites...They don't usually come out until dark to feed on the bird.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Jewellan

I think you have posted in the wrong place. I'll see if someone can fix it

In the meantime - can you post some photos of the feather loss/damage you are seeing?

Some common causes of feather loss and/or damage are mating(do you have rooster?), feather picking and molting.

As far as I know, dust should not cause feather damage, since chickens are naturally dusty and dust bathe.

 

[Jewellan]

Here are a few Pictures of the group that is effected.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

If you don't have a rooster... that's either parasites or pecking by bullies.

Not all mites are visible by the naked eye... so I wouldn't assume you don't have them.

If you do have a rooster.. you need some aprons, more hens, or get rid of him. Even with plenty of hens they may still have favorites that get over mated. That looks painful.

I suggest Permethrin 10% spray for parasites. It's easy to use, effective, affordable, and requires no withdrawal for eggs when used according to the directions.

Good luck!

 

[Jewellan]

If you don't have a rooster... that's either parasites or pecking by bullies.

Not all mites are visible by the naked eye... so I wouldn't assume you don't have them.

If you do have a rooster.. you need some aprons, more hens, or get rid of him. Even with plenty of hens they may still have favorites that get over mated. That looks painful.

I suggest Permethrin 10% spray for parasites. It's easy to use, effective, affordable, and requires no withdrawal for eggs when used according to the directions.

Good luck!

I do not have a rooster and I have checked for parasites and mites. So I am thinking that it is a learned behavior of feather picking in this group of hens. Saddens me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I do not have a rooster and I have checked for parasites and mites. So I am thinking that it is a learned behavior of feather picking in this group of hens. Saddens me.

Hi @Jewellan Are you seeing then hens preen a lot - I mean are they preening their feathers constantly like the are "itchy"?

I see feathers that have been striped. I'm wondering if they might be suffering from feather mites - these would not be seen by the naked eye - they are microscopic and burrow under the skin and basically live in the shaft of the feathers. Normal treatment of poultry dust or spray and dust bathing won't take care of them. You would need to treat with Ivermectin.

It's possible that they are plucking each other which can become a bad habit. Try upping their protein intake by either giving an 18-20%protein feed like Flock Raiser or give them egg, tuna, mackerel or meat. Not having enough space can bring out the worst in them - offer something like hanging veggies/fruit to give them something to pick at.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Again... there are MANY types of mites and some are microscopic. You will NOT be able to see them! So unless you have had a skin scrape done, I don't know if you can tell FOR SURE that you don't have them.

If it is a learned behavior, sometimes it's because the diet is too low in protein. What do you feed including supplements?

Peepers can be used to help stop feather pecking. I would be saddened to!

As well, I would see WHO doesn't have any pecked feathers and consider quarantining if not eliminating from the flock. Maybe put some Blu Kote on there or some bitter agent to stop the pecking. Since red attracts pecking it can be inviting it even more.

Also, some mites that CAN be seen don't live ON the birds. They live under the roost or in cracks of the wood and only come out to feed at night. So you wouldn't find them on your birds unless you were checking after dark.

But yours really does look like bullying since you don't have a rooster.

 

[Jewellan]

Are you seeing then hens preen a lot - I mean are they preening their feathers constantly like the are "itchy"?

I see feathers that have been striped. I'm wondering if they might be suffering from feather mites - these would not be seen by the naked eye - they are microscopic and burrow under the skin and basically live in the shaft of the feathers. Normal treatment of poultry dust or spray and dust bathing won't take care of them. You would need to treat with Ivermectin.

It's possible that they are plucking each other which can become a bad habit. Try upping their protein intake by either giving an 18-20%protein feed like Flock Raiser or give them egg, tuna, mackerel or meat. Not having enough space can bring out the worst in them - offer something like hanging veggies/fruit to give them something to pick at.

I just looked that up and is says that you need a Prescription to get it. Is there something that does not require a prescription? And why is it just concentrated on the backs of the hens? I do have one hen that is really bad. Should I cull her and do a deep cleaning? IS there something I can give to them in their water that would take care of the parasites if they are present? Is it possible that the really bad hen is passing this to the others? Sorry about the Machine gun firing of questions but I have to do something even if it's drastic.

 

[Jewellan]

Again... there are MANY types of mites and some are microscopic. You will NOT be able to see them! So unless you have had a skin scrape done, I don't know if you can tell FOR SURE that you don't have them.

If it is a learned behavior, sometimes it's because the diet is too low in protein. What do you feed including supplements?

Peepers can be used to help stop feather pecking. I would be saddened to!

As well, I would see WHO doesn't have any pecked feathers and consider quarantining if not eliminating from the flock. Maybe put some Blu Kote on there or some bitter agent to stop the pecking. Since red attracts pecking it can be inviting it even more.

Also, some mites that CAN be seen don't live ON the birds. They live under the roost or in cracks of the wood and only come out to feed at night. So you wouldn't find them on your birds unless you were checking after dark.

But yours really does look like bullying since you don't have a rooster.

I feed them Barclay Non GMO Layer pellets. Lately they have been getting the Grower feed. I have also been giving them cooked egg yolks for protein and it does not seem to be helping. I will investigate after dark. The funny thing is that I moved the ones that were effected to another area with other hens and the other hens started looking like that. So I moved them all back. But I do have one hen that has had feather issues since she was about 5 months old. She has consistently lost feathers since then and is now over a year in age. If it keeps up she is going to be naked. Poor thing.