Feather loss on tail and under wings

[schuurwmn]

DE is a deterrent only. DE is also terrible for the delicate respiratory systems of chickens. For a bird with mites, you must treat with something that will kill the pest. Pyrethrin is a safe and natural treatment.
Definitely spray the other birds, too. And definitely could be nutritional. Best to cover all your bases just in case. Get her on starter ASAP. She's going to need the higher protein to grow back those feathers.

I have all my girls on start and grow medicated so she's good there and hopefully with some extra freeze dried mealworms, that protein will do her good. If pyrethrin is safe to use even if it isn't mites (I'm going to use a magnifying glass tomorrow and really check everything out) then I will treat all of them tomorrow, provided I can find it at my farm store. I already put some de on her and mixed a little into their crumble, but I won't add anymore. Crossing my fingers I can get this girl healthy and beautiful

 

[junebuggena]

You can find it in just about every garden section. It's basically essential oils from chrysanthemums. It's completely harmless to vertebrates, but it's a neurotoxin to anything with an exoskeleton. It's also biodegradable, and doesn't linger in the soil.

 

[schuurwmn]

Yes, only scratch at that age does seem like it could lead to a less than optimal condition. She could have been eating her own feathers or other similarly protein hungry chickens could have plucked them off of her. I think giving her better quality food will make a huge difference.

As to mite/lice treatment. DE is a slow method with contentious efficacy. I think it is more successful as a preventative but there are many threads here with recommendation for either natural remedies or more conventional treatments. I used sevins dust on my hen to treat mites and it worked quickly but it can be hard on you and the bird.

I have sevins dust!!! My girls are 12 weeks old and the newbie looks younger but was told she is 13 weeks, are they too young to handle that stuff?. How would I go about applying it and keeping it safe for everyone? Gloves and mask on myself I assume and cover the hens head while sprinkling it on them??

 

[junebuggena]

Sevin dust is toxic stuff. I would not use it. There are other options that are much safer and just as effective.

 

[BIggoMamma]

they say mites look like black specks, and mites like to get under the wings so I have heard. Mites will spread to the rest of your flock. Go to the Petsmart or farm supply store and get some Adams Flea and Tick spray in a Blue bottle. May not kill the mites, but it sure wont help them. Ask Petsmart consultant in the bird department for might killer. Old folks swear by Seven Dust. It sounds too toxic to me but they say it will not hurt the chicken. You have to get mites away from your other chickens. Get some Raid bug spray in a Lilac colored can that says will kill fleas and bedbugs and spray your henhouse while they are outside foraging for bugs and grass and let the spray settle. Good luck . Also get a good powdered vitamin supplement that has minerals in it and add to the water. If chickens don't get enough minerals their feathers will fall out and they have skin probs, esp ZINC.

 

[BIggoMamma]

they say mites look like black specks, and mites like to get under the wings so I have heard. Mites will spread to the rest of your flock. Go to the Petsmart or farm supply store and get some Adams Flea and Tick spray in a Blue bottle. May not kill the mites, but it sure wont help them. Ask Petsmart consultant in the bird department for might killer. Old folks swear by Seven Dust. It sounds too toxic to me but they say it will not hurt the chicken. You have to get mites away from your other chickens. Get some Raid bug spray in a Lilac colored can that says will kill fleas and bedbugs and spray your henhouse while they are outside foraging for bugs and grass and let the spray settle. Good luck . Also get a good powdered vitamin supplement that has minerals in it and add to the water. If chickens don't get enough minerals their feathers will fall out and they have skin probs, esp ZINC.

 

[Hishigata]

Sevin is a carbaryl based neurotoxin that mimics acetylcholine and slows down reactions. I have used it once on one of my hens to treat mites on her tail. One application was enough to not require further treatment but if you can access less toxic solutions, that might be better as your hen is still young.

Pyrethrin is also a neurotoxin that acts on ion gated sodium channels in insects. However, it is derived from chrysanthemums as Junebuggena noted and is biodegradable so it does not leave residue in the soil etc.

 

[schuurwmn]

I had an experienced chicken owner check her out this morning. She said there are no external mites or lice. Yahoo! I have to watch her poops to see if there are internal parasites, but otherwise looks like she is just malnurished, and was probably pecked at or self inflicted from not enough protein to eat

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just picked up a new hen, Rhode Island Red and didn't notice her feather loss until I got her home. She is young and they told me she was molting. Looks younger than 13 weeks (my flock is around 12 weeks and looks like spoiled brats compared to this lil thing) I am putting de on her and in the food as well as acv in the water, but does this look like molting, maybe getting picked on, or parasitic issue? Any other things I should do to help get her back to looking pretty like my other 4 girls I raised since chicks?

Hi

Welcome To BYC

It looks like you have recieved good advice from the other posters.

The only think I want to add it to wash up her bum. Give her a good soaking in warm soapy water (original Dawn works well). Work the soapy water into the soiled feathers and try to remove the buildup that you see. Any poop that is still stuck or hard to remove you may need to trim out. Inspect her vent and the surrounding tissues for any redness/irritation. If you see any, apply some Blu Kote or triple anti-biotic ointment.

Watching her poop for internal parasites is fine, but some worms cannot be seen by the naked eye - if you have a vet that can test a fresh poop sample for worms, that would give you a definite answer.

Keep us posted.