Extreme Feather Pulling

[CassieLeo]

Welcome to BYC!
do they have poultry lice or mites? Look near the shaft of the feathers to see if there are dusty colored bugs in their feathers, although it seems a bit too excessive to be poultry lice.
Personally, I am not very informed on this matter but maybe one of these wonderful people can help: @TheOddOneOut @EmmaRainboe @MGG @cluckmecoop7 @human1
@The Happster @CHlCKEN @DLHOCNT @LadiesAndJane
@RoostersAreAwesome
Anyone got any ideas? Much appreciated

Thank you! No signs of mites that I can see. And I have experienced mites in a flock before, so I have some experience as to what they look like and where to find them. I did treat for mites twice, 11 days apart, back in December. I also completely cleaned the coop and treated it like it had a mite infestation as well.

 

[CassieLeo]

You offer oyster shells as a source of calcium correct? I agree, check for lice and mites.

Yes, they have free access to oyster shells at all times. I’ve check and treated for lice and mites twice, as well as treating the entire coop and run for mites as well.

 

[aart]

Correct. I treated for mites/lice anyways just in case. Waited 11 days between treatments. Also did a complete empty of coop and bedding materials, soaked every thing in bleach water, scrubbed, and rinsed out. Replaced all bedding, and added DE to all the books and crannies, neat boxes, and dust bathing areas. I’m at a loss.

Did you use an insecticide or just the bleach and DE?

Regardless, I think this is pecking not bugs.
Watch the birds with no feather loss closely.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @CassieLeo
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[CassieLeo]

Did you use an insecticide or just the bleach and DE?

Regardless, I think this is pecking not bugs.
Watch the birds with no feather loss closely.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @CassieLeo
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2551749

Thank you! I used permethrin to treat the birds and clean the coop. Forgot to include that! I really don’t think it is bugs either, I’ve had three people (one has raised chickens for 40+ years) check my gals and they didn’t see any evidence of mites either. I have my three dominant hens in chicken jail at the moment, hoping I can knock them down a peg and stop this problem!

I live in Central Oregon, in the middle of the high desert. We get very cold and snowy winters here, although this last winter was pretty mild. Only got about a foot of snow total. I will be sure to update my profile. Thanks!

 

[KilbournFarmhouse]

While not exactly the same, we had a similar situation recently and it has been challenging! In our case, I believe it is feather picking and they are also eating the feathers sometimes. We were advised that additional nutrients might be needed and it was suggested that we add kelp to their food to provide this.