Feathering picking or mites?

[Alipete21]

Here are pics of a few of my hens. I have 23 total and it’s not on all of them. Maybe 1/2. Their skin is not red. They are healthy and are fed organic non gmo no corn no soy scratch and peck layer feed. I put strong animals both electrolytes/vitamins and prebiotics/probiotics in their water with acv. Oyster shells. Dust baths with ash and de. I keep everything pretty clean. If it is mites how should I treat it and what about the eggs?

 

[Alipete21]

Also. It’s only right there on their neck and just noticed it on my buff Brahmas head. My satin silkie is missing feathers on her head but that’s from bullying. All my chickens are 9-10 months old.

 

[nuthatched]

Looks like picking.
What the nutrition label of the feed? Unfortunately, everything free feeds are often criminally lacking in nutrition. Also, I recommend getting a respirator and removing all the dust bath, since it wont prevent mites and will cause dryness, irritation, and respiratory issues, and replacing it with Peat moss. :]

 

[Alipete21]

This is the feed

 

[Debbie292d]

Here are pics of a few of my hens. I have 23 total and it’s not on all of them. Maybe 1/2. Their skin is not red. They are healthy and are fed organic non gmo no corn no soy scratch and peck layer feed. I put strong animals both electrolytes/vitamins and prebiotics/probiotics in their water with acv. Oyster shells. Dust baths with ash and de. I keep everything pretty clean. If it is mites how should I treat it and what about the eggs?

You're doing everything I would do pretty much. I use the DE in the coop about twice a month as a deterrent and they don't get mites albeit the SLM (scaley leg mites) that silkies are prone to. They need a dust bath so keep that up too. Could they be over-crowded?

For a mite breakout though if you wind up thinking it's that, I would use permethrin dust all over the coop and on the chickens. Repeat that in a week to 10 days.

The eggs are fine. It's Ivermectin there's a recommended withdrawal for that.

 

[Alipete21]

You're doing everything I would do pretty much. I use the DE in the coop about twice a month as a deterrent and they don't get mites albeit the SLM (scaley leg mites) that silkies are prone to. They need a dust bath so keep that up too. Could they be over-crowded?

For a mite breakout though if you wind up thinking it's that, I would use permethrin dust all over the coop and on the chickens. Repeat that in a week to 10 days.

The eggs are fine. It's Ivermectin there's a recommended withdrawal for that.

I don’t think they are crowded.
8x10 coop, with 12 external nesting boxes.
2-8’ roosting bars, 1-5’ roosting bar.
Lots of open space.
The run has a 12x16 covered area with the dust baths and roosting bars.
There’s another run area attached that’s not cover but it’s still be snowing here in Alaska so they haven’t been going out there much.

 

[Debbie292d]

I don’t think they are crowded.
8x10 coop, with 12 external nesting boxes.
2-8’ roosting bars, 1-5’ roosting bar.
Lots of open space.
The run has a 12x16 covered area with the dust baths and roosting bars.
There’s another run area attached that’s not cover but it’s still be snowing here in Alaska so they haven’t been going out there much.

You're slightly over limit of chickens though as the minimum square footage per chicken in a coop is 4' and more if they're going to be locked up for days/weeks due to weather. Since your nest boxes are outside, that's helping a little. For a run, it's minimally 10' feet, more like 15' feet is best, and that's a bit over on birds at the minimum as well; however, you said they do have another run when weather permits so that's probably just fine.

I have silkies in Wisconsin who do get locked in for several days at a time during subzero weather/blizzards, and even though they only need 3' feet/bird, we try keep it to 4' for that reason.

It could possibly be that they're picking on each other though due to the current circumstances of being at capacity and that they can't get out to the other run, but I still think it's mites or molting or something else as peckers usually go for their backs or the back of the neck, or the head, but not usually the front of the neck as that's harder for them to get at.

Is there something with placement of roosts or somewhere they are sitting where they all rub their necks on something?

 

[Alipete21]

2 of mine are silkies too. Never have confined them to the coop. They go out and are rarely in the coop besides roosting and laying.
I think you’re right about the space outside though maybe. I left for 2 weeks on vacation and left my hubby to take care of them. Maybe 5-6 were missing feathers before and now it’s more like 10.

I was fermenting feed for a while but stopped while I was gone so it was less hassle for my hubby. But I did have 1 chicken that was constantly picking any remnants off their necks.

Now that you said that, their food is in an anti roosting trough, maybe their necks are rubbing on that while they are eating. Hmmm. That may be the culprit….