Help with diagnosis - skin and feather issue

[Bluscorp22]

I have two hens exhibiting the same symptoms. Loss of feathers around eyes, face, and necks. The first pic is of my black sex link hen. She had scaly leg mite, but as far as I can tell, she is on her way to a full recovery after a long treatment using Vaseline, nu-stock, Seven dust, and Ivermectin. Took months!! I treated all 6 girls, even though only 2 showed signs of having the mites. The second pic is of my Ameraucana. she never showed signs of mites at all but I treated her anyway. I originally thought maybe the leg mite had migrated to the face and neck on these two girls. So I treated around their eyes, head, and neck as best I could with Vaseline and nu-stock. Then I thought maybe they were going through a weird molt due to stress, as the sex link hen is now losing some feathers on her hind end. Recently we did some remodeling in the barn. There was a lot of sawing and hammering going on, and a lot of coming and going. I had supplemental lighting on them until a few weeks ago (around the time the feather loss started). I thought I took it off them gradually enough that it would not stress them out...maybe I didn't. About this same time I moved 6 turkens to the barn but not in the same pen. The girls in question here have no rooster with them. However, there are two roosters by themselves in another pen. They are young and just began crowing. There has been a lot of changes going on around this group...enough to cause stress for molting I guess. I have considered Favus but there is no peeling, flaky skin or chalky bumps on their combs or wattles. The other 4 hens with them show none of these symptoms. These two girls appear to be large and in charge and maybe picking each others feathers out. They do quarrel some when I am around but I have never seen them actually pulling the other ones feathers out! They have a steady diet of layer pellets, scratch, meal worms a couple times a week, as well as scrambled eggs once a week. They have free access to oyster shell and grit. Always have fresh water (with ACV about twice a week). I do see the occasional feather on the ground but nothing like the annual molt. They are still laying eggs on a regular basis. These two just look scraggly! kind of like a molt but not nearly as bad! Their pen is nice and dry...a converted horse stall about 12 X 14 with an attached 8 X 20 run. They are bright eyed and eating. There is no bleeding or scabbing...HELP! any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am at a loss. I will say that when they first started this, I thought it looked like mange!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I would say mites may be hiding in the bedding in the coop. I would make sure that all that bedding is tossed and you dust the coop thoroughly. Seriously once I didn't change the nestbox material and they came right back.

This is why I switched to sand as I got tired of throwing away my bedding. Now I sprinkle poultry dust (permethrin) in the sand. I even use sand in the nestboxes. I wear an N95 mask as breathing sand dust is very bad for you. I sift sand with kitty litter scoop.

Mites require retreatment at 7 days and lice at 14 days. When my girls' feathers have that mangy look it is always mites.

 

[Bluscorp22]

Hi! Thank you for your quick response! I have gotten rid of every piece of bedding and covered the now plain dirt floors with seven dust on day 1 and day 10. I do have a small area of sand for dust bathing. Also I have hay in the nest boxes but changed it and added seven dust on day 1 and day 10. But talking to you reminds me that There is a lot of old wood in the barn! Maybe that's where the little pests are coming from!! What kind of sand do you use? I have read where some use construction sand? Did you have it delivered or pick it up? How much would you recommend using? I also dusted the girls with seven on day 1 and 10. What should be my next step? Put sand in first or re-clean coop and dust girls and contents of pen and run with seven again or should I use something else? Then put in sand. I have considered sand for some time and this will spur me to use it! I know I have many questions! Thank you!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

There is a "got sand you should" thread that is good to look at- it is very long.

I used to buy the bagged play sand at Home Depot and now I have a pile outside convered with a tarp that I had delivered from the garden center of the local nursery. I try to get washed sand.

I would try sand in a small area first to see if you like it. Try scooping out the poo with a kitty litter scoop (some people take a horse poop scooper and line it with hardware cloth I have read but I don't know if that size will work to get the poo out) and see if it is something you would want to deal with over a larger area. It may be too labor intensive for a large area- I don't know.

 

[Bluscorp22]

Thank you for all the information!