Depluming mites! Please help! Confused with what treatment to use.

[purpletiger]

Hello everyone! I noticed that the feathers on my birds have become raggedy at the ends with some horizontal lines on the wing and tail feathers. I'm thinking they have a case of depluming mites. I plan on cleaning out the coop and spraying everything down with permethrin. My bantam cochin's chest and neck feathers are the worst. I'm not sure what to use on the birds. I've been combing through a lot of threads on here and I just don't know. Some say permethrin dust or spray. Some say it wont work on them. Some say Ivermectin pour on. Some say that wont work on them. Sulfur etc. What is the current general consensus on what is safe and effective to use and treat depluming mites on the birds?

Any help is greatly appreciated! I need to keep their feathers decent enough to help them to stay warm through the winter! Thanks!

Pictures:

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Cochins have soft feathers so the structure of them isn't always tight and neat. How old are your birds?

 

[Kathy Golla]

I don’t think they have depluming mites. Nows the time of year that most birds look raggedy.

 

[purpletiger]

Really? The mottled cochin hasn't molted yet, but the other two, the mille fleur d'uccle and grey easter egger just finished and the ends of the feathers already look like something is eating them. You don't think so?

 

[Shezadandy]

Really? The mottled cochin hasn't molted yet, but the other two, the mille fleur d'uccle and grey easter egger just finished and the ends of the feathers already look like something is eating them. You don't think so?

Depluming mites burrow into the skin around the feather shaft. It likes to feed on the ooze its damage creates. Chickens affected start pulling their own feathers out in an effort to remove the irritation, i.e. the depluming mite doesn't sit on the end of the feather and start damaging it.

It's possible one of the chickens is doing this to her flockmates. This is how my rooster used to look when he had a little circle of female groupies who constantly groomed him.

No parasites … well - except his harem of pushy hens.

Once his self-esteem improved, he didn't let them do this to him anymore, though they did keep a good clean-shaved look at the front of his neck. (and BTW they've always had 20% protein food - this was a social grooming disorder, not a cry for more protein in the diet!)

 

[purpletiger]

Cochins have soft feathers so the structure of them isn't always tight and neat. How old are your birds?

That's good to know. They're around 16 months. The cochin is the only one who hasn't molted yet.

Depluming mites burrow into the skin around the feather shaft. It likes to feed on the ooze its damage creates. Chickens affected start pulling their own feathers out in an effort to remove the irritation, i.e. the depluming mite doesn't sit on the end of the feather and start damaging it.

It's possible one of the chickens is doing this to her flockmates. This is how my rooster used to look when he had a little circle of female groupies who constantly groomed him.

If they are in the feather shaft wouldn't they also be damaging the new feathers before they grow out? It's possible that the others might be grooming her. I was also thinking maybe because cochins are so short, that she is dragging her chest feathers on the ground while eating all day. Maybe that's wearing them out. I'll just dust them with some permethrin to be safe and save the Ivermectin and use it if their feathers get much worse.