Help! Possible mites?

[jeri40]

Our hens are pecking on each other and really dusting themselves in the dirt inl their pen. Some have areas where their feathers are gone and area is red. If this is a problem with mites, what is the best way to handle it? I have some Sevin and D Earth. Can I dust the hens with either one and what else do I need to do? Would appreciate any help as soon as possible as I will be going away for a few days and my husband will be taking care of hens. Thanks for any suggestions that you may have.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

This could be a mite problem, but it also could be an aggression problem, where they are pulling each others feathers out. Not enough protein will cause them to pluck each others feathers. Do you see mites on them? You can go out side after dark and with a flashlight, shine the light on your birds. If you have mites, you will see them then. Mites come out at night for the most part.

Make sure your birds have enough room. When chickens are cramped, they pick on each other. So 5 square feet per bird in the coop, 10 square feet per bird in the run. Give them things to do...hanging veggies or cabbages, seed pecking blocks, ladders, mirrors, get them out to free range...just things to keep them from picking on each other. Any bare spots of skin or wounds, you will need to spray them with blu-kote to hide these ares to keep them from being picked at more or get infected.

They need to be on a good diet, keep the treats down to 10% of the diet so they are getting enough protein.

I would also give everybody a good exam from beak to tail to make sure they are healthy.

If you do suspect mites, Sevin Dust or permethrin spray will work well. Make sure to get down to the skin and not just the feathers. You will need to clean out the entire coop. All bedding, nest boxes, etc....spray or powder the roost bars especially beneath the bar where the bugs hide, get the nest boxes really well. Repeat this in one week and each month it never hurts to clean everything out and spray everything down.

Good luck with your birds and welcome to our flock!

 

[foreverlearning]

It could be mites, lice, or an over mating rooster. If a rooster is not your problem then I would dust the birds with sevin, clean out the coop and nest boxes, then put some de in their main dusting area. Retreat in 7 days for mites and 10 days for lice. Lice look like tiny maggots near the vent, mites are really hard to catch on a hen because they get off during the day. DE doesn't treat an infestation but does help prevent one so after both treatments I would continue to add a little bit of de to the dusting area and nest boxes.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above. There is a nice article in the Learning Center on bully behavior and feather picking, pinless peepers are something to consider to stop it pretty fast until you can make other changes https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bullying-behavior-in-chickens also the LC article on mites to help you figure out what you have https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mites-chicken-pests-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-mites

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC!

This could be a mite problem, but it also could be an aggression problem, where they are pulling each others feathers out. Not enough protein will cause them to pluck each others feathers. Do you see mites on them? You can go out side after dark and with a flashlight, shine the light on your birds. If you have mites, you will see them then. Mites come out at night for the most part.

Make sure your birds have enough room. When chickens are cramped, they pick on each other. So 5 square feet per bird in the coop, 10 square feet per bird in the run. Give them things to do...hanging veggies or cabbages, seed pecking blocks, ladders, mirrors, get them out to free range...just things to keep them from picking on each other. Any bare spots of skin or wounds, you will need to spray them with blu-kote to hide these ares to keep them from being picked at more or get infected.

They need to be on a good diet, keep the treats down to 10% of the diet so they are getting enough protein.

I would also give everybody a good exam from beak to tail to make sure they are healthy.

If you do suspect mites, Sevin Dust or permethrin spray will work well. Make sure to get down to the skin and not just the feathers. You will need to clean out the entire coop. All bedding, nest boxes, etc....spray or powder the roost bars especially beneath the bar where the bugs hide, get the nest boxes really well. Repeat this in one week and each month it never hurts to clean everything out and spray everything down.

Good luck with your birds and welcome to our flock!

X 2 on TwoCrows advice. It sounds as if it is an aggression/feather pecking problem, but if mites are visible, it is time for treatment.

 

[gander007]

X 3 on Two Crows