Feather breakage and itching...

[CharlieBaby]

Hi there, I'm trying to figure out the cause of persistent feather loss in two of my 3-year-old hens. Both have been excessively itching around their necks for over a year. Their feathers break off or fall out in the same spots they scratch. Feathers grow back normally after molt but are quickly lost again. The feather loss isn’t due to pecking or a typical molt, and I’m unsure whether both hens are dealing with the same root issue. Photos attached (lots!).

Pippy (tan, Salmon Faverolles):

• Bald neck and partially bald chest
• Scratches this area frequently
• Chronic vent gleet that has resisted multiple treatments
• Still laying, but shells are somewhat thin

Stella (white, Delaware):

• Feathers break/shafts strip where she scratches with her foot
• Smells like wet dog when feathers are damp
• White feathers are yellowed/stained around neck
• Previously had vent gleet (now cleared)
• Has stopped laying after soft/misshapen eggs
• Also has some respiratory symptoms (possible MG or IB)

I started by treating for mites and lice even though I have not seen any lice or mites upon visual inspection. When this didn't solve the issue, I switched to treating topically for yeast infection. This is not bullying, mating, or a typical molt.

Tried for possible mites/lice:

• Sprayed hens and coop with Elector PSP (more than once)
• Sulfur powder on feathers and in dust bathing areas

Tried for possible yeast/fungal infection:

• Antiseptic and antifungal medicated shampoo (ketoconazole and benzethonium chloride)
• Topical clotrimazole cream

Tried for vent gleet:

• ACV in water (1 tbs per gallon)
• Probiotics and non-dairy coconut yogurt
• Miconazole cream (oral)
• Acidified copper sulfate in water (5-7 days)

Diet/environment:

• 17% protein layer pellets
• Fresh "mush" (layer feed with water)
• Fresh water (occasional ACV, electrolytes, vitamins)
• Free choice oyster and egg shells
• Minimal treats, supervised free ranging
• Spacious run with areas for climbing, perching, dust bathing
• Pacific Northwest

I may make separate posts later for Stella’s suspected reproductive and respiratory issues and Pippy’s chronic vent gleet, but wanted to focus here on the feather loss and excessive itching.

What do you think is causing this persistent feather loss, and what can I do about it? Maybe depluming mites and time for ivermectin drench? Persistent yeast? Something else?

Thanks for reading!

 

[thecatumbrella]

That looks so uncomfortable!

I can tell you've been throwing the kitchen sink at this, trying to figure things out. I have a few thoughts.

- Since you're already offering oyster shell on the side, I'd consider switching to a higher protein non-layer feed (like a 20% all flock) to assist with feathering.
- You mentioned spraying the coop with Elector PSP. Did you also do a complete bedding change? Also, I personally prefer to treat the coop with permethrin dust. Something like this. You'll have to shut the chickens out, mask up, and use one of those insect dusters to puff it into every crack and crevice, but that will REALLY get to any hidden mites versus spraying a liquid.
- I'd try ivermectin. I'm actually about to use it myself for the first time, since Elector PSP didn't one-shot their scaly leg mites like I had hoped. The dosing is a bit of a mess to figure out, and you REALLY don't want to overdose. We're going with the 5mg/ml pour-on version over the 1% injectable. I've settled on 1 drop from an eye dropper (which is approximately 0.25 mg) per pound, applied to the skin on the back of the neck. It's a bit on the lower side, but my birds are quite small. Look up ivermectin posts from @casportpony; she has a really good dosage guide.

Good luck, and I hope you're able to get this under control soon!

 

[DonyaQuick]

For mites/lice ON the bird, by the time the birds are scratching badly you can basically always see the bugs if you look hard enough. Important areas to check (which are nearly always NOT where the breakage is since the birds "dealt with" that area already but have trouble reaching the others!): around vent, under earlobes, back of hocks right where the feathers start, top of wing when folded to the elbow, chest under crop. Also look for areas that look red/inflamed or like a scratch or other shallow wound that never heals - that can be caused by persistent mite/louse feeding activity.

If you have tropical or northern fowl mites, you will see dark dots on or near the skin. Some may be red, others will be more black or gray depending on life cycle and whether they've fed. Dots will move if you bother at them if they aren't moving already. When in doubt, press one between your fingers - dark red smear means it was a mite that had fed.

For lice you will see tiny tan to cream-colored awful little alien things whiz out of the light back into the feathers as you rifle through them. They move fast but are a lot bigger than mites so easier to see when they dart away.

For roost mites, they live in wood so you'll find nothing on the bird and will have to check the coop and birds at night. Seems unlikely it would be those but still worth checking at night just in case.

If none of those...you may want to look up depluming mites and see if you can see any of the symptoms they create, and whether they are a present pest in your region. However, I've thought I had depluming mites several times and it never was that, always ended up being something else in the end, but depluming mites are also very rare in my region. I don't know whether they are more common in yours.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Forgot to add, you can have persistent fowl mite mite problems for a LONG time even despite repeated treatments like Elector PSP and permethrin if you have an vector repeatedly dropping more mites in an area like a dust bath. It's a problem I face in one of my enclosures that's near the edge of the forest where the rodent population seems to have become infested with mites within the past 2 years. I'm constantly trapping infested mice in the area and have to check my birds regularly. However, if you check down to the skin really carefully in all the areas listed and play the "bug or crud" game with suspicious dots and find nothing...then it's probably something the standard mite treatments won't fix.

I also just realized I could zoom more on the photos...it looks like there are new pin feathers being ripped out. That's not necessarily inconsistent with mites but could also point to a behavioral thing. Do the birds ever get more protein?