Help....my hen is pecking herself to death......

[CherylZrimm]

. My girl is doing this to herself!! No mites fleas ticks or lice. Anyone been through this before??

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old is she?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
Any signs of mites/lice - what treatment(s) have you tried so far?
When did she start doing this?

Picking at herself that bad, makes me think Feather Mites - these are microscopic and live under the skin and in the feather shaft. Regular treatment for lice/mites would be ineffective. Treatment with Ivermectin would most likely be your best bet. If you have a vet you can take her to, that may be a good idea, they may have a better treatment than what you can get OTC.

Gently flush the area with saline or diluted betadine apply some plain neosporin or vetericyn spray. A spray may be best since it is such a large area.

Also add extra protein to her diet, either by a commercial feed like all flock/flock raiser or giving scrambled/hard boiled egg, tuna, mackerel or meat. Add some poultry vitamins to her water as well.

Let us know how she is doing.

https://chickenwired.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/parasites-of-poultry/
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/pethe.../skin_and_feather_disorders_of_pet_birds.html

 

[CherylZrimm]

Thank you so much for the help. I'll keep you posted.

 

[CherylZrimm]

She's 6 months old....first time layer....Nutrena layer food.... no visible pests....

 

[CherylZrimm]

Started with Wound Kote then used Vetericyn spray..... anything I put on it seems to make her go at it harder

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Started with Wound Kote then used Vetericyn spray..... anything I put on it seems to make her go at it harder

I don't know if this makes a difference, but where on the body is this located?

If applying any ointment seems to make the picking worse, then you may want to leave it be for a day or so and see if she stops picking at it.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Feather mites are the most diabolical chicken pests that I know of. They are supposedly so painful and aggravating that they force the hen (or rooster) to pull it's own plumage out by the roots in order to get some relief. A lot of new chicken keepers kill, rehome, or otherwise cull their rooster because they think that he is wearing his hens' feathers off.

 

[CherylZrimm]

I've left her alone today....no sprays or ointments.... she's doing better this way..... hopefully whatever is going on will right itself in a day or two. I'll update tomorrow.

 

[CherylZrimm]

The aggravated spot is at the base of her tail.... small of her back part....and under the right wing....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad to hear she is doing a bit better.

Were you able to find any Ivermectin?
You need to determine the underlying cause of her self-mutilation.