Hens are possibly frostbiten?

[Samannemm]

What should I do?

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Take a closer look by the feather shafts and their vent. I would treat with permetherin. I used the powder when I though my hens had mites and it was not even as cold as it is now.

 

[Blooie]

First of all, relax. Deep breath...... You are going to have to go out and pick them up, then examine not only those dots that can be seen in the photo but also look along their feather shafts, under their wings, around their tails, around their vents, and on their heads and faces. You'll know when you see them....those little bugs are small but pretty obvious when you spot them. If that is the case and they do have bugs you'll have to treat them AND their environment.

There are lots of effective products out there, but you will have to treat at least a couple of times, because they are persistent. But there's no point panicking...many of us have dealt with these little scourges before and no doubt eventually might again. Since product choices are pretty individual choices, your best bet is to enter "lice and mite treatment" in the search box at the top banner and sort through the different options. I preferred to pounce Pyrethrin (I think that's the right name, it's been awhile) on them. Since treatment is most effective at night after the sun goes down when mites are most actively feeding on the chickens, go out after they are on the roost, grab each one by the legs, hold it upside down by the legs so the feathers and wings hang downwards, and pounce the powder onto their skin. (Lice will be more obvious on the birds, and will feed constantly, I think, but many mites hide during the day with some found on the chickens during the day) I found it easiest to pour the powder into an old sock, tie a knot in the hold-on end, and tap the powder on. No, they don't like this process. No, I didn't like this process. But it's the easiest way I found. You CAN do this during the day if you can't walk inside your coop to get it done, but they are harder to catch. When they are roosting, they are pretty sedate and easy to handle. I just covered the lens end of a flashlight with a blue washcloth secured with a rubber band, so that I could see but there wasn't enough light to disturb them much.

You'll also have to treat nesting areas and the roosts, especially the undersides of the roosts and the places where they connect to the walls. You can use either the same powder, Poultry Protect, or Neem Oil. I used Neem oil when we had the first infestation, then after that just pounced the roosts and joints every couple of weeks while I was already out there to discourage more. You can do that during the day.

All that said, don't panic! It could be just dust and/or dander on their backs as well and nothing at all to get concerned about. Maybe I shouldn't have even brought it up.

Edited to correct: Permetherin! Thanks, @Soon2BChixMom I blew that one!

 

[Samannemm]

I’m glad you brought it up! I am new to chickens so I’m always anxious about their well-being. I will check tonight. I haven’t noticed anything, but my polish regularly picks stuff out of her wings, which I assumed to be her way of cleaning herself but may in fact be mites. I’ve only closely looked at my polish’s head and my Black Stars back, but I was not looking for mites or live either time so I may have missed them...

I was able to capture a couple more pictures. I’m going to start calling around to see who has the treatment just in case *sigh* does this treat lice and mites?

 

[Samannemm]

As you can see, my Black Star is cold because she’s molting losing feathers like crazy right now. I think the coyote attack forced her to molt again because she lost so many feathers from it.

 

[Samannemm]

@Blooie I keep trying to quote you but it’s not working! I just started using the app instead of the browser though so I’m still getting the hang of it.

 

[Blooie]

@Blooie I keep trying to quote you but it’s not working! I just started using the app instead of the browser though so I’m still getting the hang of it.

There are still some bugs in the app (no tie to previous conversation intended) according to the experts, so I cheat. I used my phone's browser, came to BYC, then told my phone to put it on my home screen. Now I just click on the icon and up it pops, looking and functioning like it does here. Turn your phone sideways so you get the features.

As I said, don't panic!!! Even if you do find something, it's part of having them that many of us have experienced. I never found any of the "natural" preventatives to be that effective - if they are gonna invade they are gonna invade, regardless of pumpkin, garlic or vinegar or DE. In my experience (and I'll get blasted for this) folks who swear that they've never had a single mite because they use this or that probably wouldn't have had them anyway. Sort of like saying that X kind of shoes always prevents falling on ice because the wearer talking about it has never slipped. The only thing that might be effective is DE, because it does kill soft-bodied insects, but for me it was just too risky to use if the bag says "wear breathing protection". Again, personal choice!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I did as Blooie said - I used a panty hose sock and dusted them like a powder puff! I wore a mask when doing it though as its quite dusty and a chemical. The first time I took them off the roost in the evening. The second time, I just grabbed them. Pet and talk to them while you do it, I think it helps keep them to stay calm. Plus they looked at me funny. Lol. I also powdered their nests and sprayed poultry protector where the powder wouldn't go. I only saw one creepy crawly and I kind of flipped out. Lol. Also, you can search for chicken lice and mites to see pics of them.
Do they have a dust bath area?

 

[Samannemm]

I did as Blooie said - I used a panty hose sock and dusted them like a powder puff! I wore a mask when doing it though as its quite dusty and a chemical. The first time I took them off the roost in the evening. The second time, I just grabbed them. Pet and talk to them while you do it, I think it helps keep them to stay calm. Plus they looked at me funny. Lol. I also powdered their nests and sprayed poultry protector where the powder wouldn't go. I only saw one creepy crawly and I kind of flipped out. Lol. Also, you can search for chicken lice and mites to see pics of them.
Do they have a dust bath area?

Not since there’s been snow fall. They actually created their own first bath in the run. I didn’t think I needed to give them an area to dust bathe in the winter but I guess I was wrong! I was worried about frostbite but looks like that’s just the tip of the iceberg for my girls.

 

[Blooie]

Not since there’s been snow fall. They actually created their own first bath in the run. I didn’t think I needed to give them an area to dust bathe in the winter but I guess I was wrong! I was worried about frostbite but looks like that’s just the tip of the iceberg for my girls.

You put that worry into your back pocket and save it for when you need it!!! You don't know yet if you have an issue with your chickens besides the cold and possibly an out-of-season molt in one, and if there is another problem 99% of the time the remedies are pretty simple. Trying to explain external parasite treatment is one of those things that SOUNDS more complicated than the actual doing is, so relax. You've got this. Just by coming here, explaining and asking, you're already ahead of the game in caring for your chickens.