Help! Nothing seems to be working!

[DimondaleBergs]

Hi...a while back I posted about the possibility of some of my hens having lice. I have treated them, and the coop four times now (every ten days), and it's still the same hens with the same about of baldness. It's gotten very cold here, and I don't want my peepers to become ill because of their lack of feathers, but I'm not sure what's causing the issue. I have 12 hens, and only 5 of them seem to be having the issue. It's the same 5 as in the beginning..and two of them are worse than the other three. The 2 "bad" ones have baldness around their tails, and on their underbelly (not completely bald, but patches), and the other three just have the patches on their undersides...
I'm hoping that someone here can help me help them!
I've used the dust, completely cleaned the coop, nest boxes, poop board, dusted the run (before it snowed), with no change.

Thanks

 

[Rachael23]

Hi i had to deal with this a few weeks ago. I used diatom and treated her every 3-4 days. you really have to apply it well, ie. i turned her on her back and my partner rubbed it in all between the feathers everywhere....front and back and under the weeks... it was a diatom party. She had them very bad too. and we continued at this rate until they were gone (approx 5 applications)...i was worried about feather loss and the weather and was recommended buying them chicken jumpers which i got hold of off ebay...also i put a lot more straw in to ensure it was warm. good luck x

 

[BantamLover21]

Have you actually seen lice or mites? If not, then I wouldn't assume that they have external parasites. It is common for birds, especially those that are over/nearing a year of age, to molt at this time of year. During molting, they lose feathers all over their body, stop laying (or at least slow down in laying), develop pale combs and wattles, and look awful. But after 1-3 months, most birds are usually done molting. How long have they been like this?

Sometimes, feather problems are caused by nutrient deficiencies, too. I've seen at least a few posts on BYC about people whose flocks had lots of feather loss and oddities, that were then corrected when they switched feeds. Maybe try purchasing a new brand of feed, and see what happens.

 

[casportpony]

A couple that I had necropsied had subcutaneous mites, so it could be something like that.

-Kathy

 

[DimondaleBergs]

Thanks, Racheal
Where did you get the diatom from? I've thought about making a few jumpers myself. lol Just to keep their bare butts warm. lol

 

[Rachael23]

Durham Hens

Diatom (Diatomaceous Earth) is a 100% natural powder used on poultry and animals to eliminate internal worms and external parasites such as lice and fleas and to improve their general health. It can be used on all types of poultry as well as horses, pigs, sheep, goats, dogs and cats.Diatom and Poultry Shield can be purchased directly from Durham Hens or through our online shop.

How Diatom works
Diatom is a powder made from finely ground fossil particles which are microscopically sharp. These particles scratch through the waxy exoskeleton of insects causing them to dehydrate and die.

How to use Diatom

• To use this powder as a wormer you mix it in with their food - 5% is recommended and we only do this approximately every 3 months and whenever we buy in new stock

• To kill and prevent chicken fleas you can either hold the hen upside down and apply under the wings or mix it into their dust bath and they apply it themselves - the powder sticks by static to their feathers
• To kill or prevent red mites, dust the ends of the perches regularly to stop the mites getting to the hens when they are perched at night and in the nest boxes where mites tend to hide (especially important for broodies as they often get attacked by mites). We do this everytime we clean out the hen house. If red mites are already a problem, hen houses should be thoroughly cleaned with Poultry Shield before using Diatom.
• Diatom kills other insects such as ants, beetles, woodlice etc. that crawl over it so you could use it on the floor if you have problems with any of these. It can even be used inside the home to eradicate insects e.g. behind kitchen cupboards.

Is it safe?
Diatom is chemically inert so it is completely safe for eggs, meat and the food chain so there is no egg or meat withdrawal time. Diatom is approved by DEFRA and the Diatom that we sell is food grade. However, it is not for human consumption.

Other Benefits of adding Diatom to Animal Feed

• Diatom increases the digestability of food, so you save on feed costs

• It helps to supply adequate minerals to promote better health, less sickness and faster growth

Pack sizes available450g, 2kg, 5kg, 10kg and 15kg.
As well as Diatom, we also stock a range of cleaners, disinfectants and sanitisers designed for use with poultry e.g. Poultry Shield, Bi-oo-Cyst, Liquid Egg Wash, Hatch San and Bio-Dri. Please contact us for further details about any of these products.


Diatom

Vine House Tel: 01388 731131
Nr. Tow Law Mob: 07763929686
Bishop Auckland Email: [email protected]
Co. Durham
DL13 4BN

Copyright Durham Hens Limited
VAT Registration Number 995021312, Company Number 07703899, Directors of Durham Hens Limited: A.J.Manchester, M.R.Manchester


​

Home
Hens for sale
Chicks for sale
Hatching eggs for sale
Incubating and brooding
Hen Houses for sale
Gift Vouchers

Hen Holidays
Courses
Hatching in Schools

Hen Health
Keeping Chickens
Diatom Powder

 

[DimondaleBergs]

Have you actually seen lice or mites? If not, then I wouldn't assume that they have external parasites. It is common for birds, especially those that are over/nearing a year of age, to molt at this time of year. During molting, they lose feathers all over their body, stop laying (or at least slow down in laying), develop pale combs and wattles, and look awful. But after 1-3 months, most birds are usually done molting. How long have they been like this?

Sometimes, feather problems are caused by nutrient deficiencies, too. I've seen at least a few posts on BYC about people whose flocks had lots of feather loss and oddities, that were then corrected when they switched feeds. Maybe try purchasing a new brand of feed, and see what happens.

I haven't actually seen the lice/mites, but then again, I wouldn't know what to look for. LOL This is my first flock. They will be a year old in February. I noticed about the beginning of September, that the first one was losing a lot of tail feathers. The second one (these are the two that are the worst) started doing the same thing about three weeks later...so like the end of September....the other three just have spots on their underbellies....

 

[Rachael23]

have you actually seen a lice?

 

[casportpony]

I tried it, didn't work for me, so now I use poultry dust, 5% Sevin powder for mites/lice and proper wormers for internal parasites. Don't believe everything you read, and that includes posts from me, lol.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

have you actually seen a lice?

Lice are very sneaky and can be hard to see, trust me.

-Kathy