I don't know what's wrong!

[Fancychooklady]

that concerns me greatly....

Yes, me too. That's why I don't use it. Sevin poultry dust or a permethrin spray will do the job.however you need to clean and spray the premise as well as the birds and then retreat 10 days later . In the UK and the US there is a relatively new product derived from sacrose, ' spinosad ' , might be worth looking into.

 

[Americano Blue]

Yes, me too. That's why I don't use it. Sevin poultry dust or a permethrin spray will do the job.however you need to clean and spray the premise as well as the birds and then retreat 10 days later . In the UK and the US there is a relatively new product derived from sacrose, ' spinosad ' , might be worth looking into.

Ok. I will look into it.

 

[Nambroth]

In addition, since you do not have any roosters, do you have any hens that are quite dominant and mount your other hens? In the absence of a rooster, sometimes a hen will 'take his place' and will go so far as to mount other hens! I had one that did that in the period of time when I did not have a rooster. She pulled the head feathers the way a rooster would. She went through all the 'motions' except actually touching cloacas.

Otherwise I would also suspect molting (they often do this time of year into the winter) and/or mites as others are suggesting. I hate to use insecticides around my birds but in the case of mites I would also use a product like poultry dust or permethrin, because they are the most effective, and over time mites can cause serious problems in otherwise healthy birds. If you decide to treat for mites, be sure to clean your coop well and work the insecticide into the appropriate areas such as roosting boards, etc. There are a lot of threads on here about this. Use caution about spreading these products outside, especially if you have gardens or apiaries, as they are very toxic to bees and other beneficial pollinators.

 

[Americano Blue]

In addition, since you do not have any roosters, do you have any hens that are quite dominant and mount your other hens? In the absence of a rooster, sometimes a hen will 'take his place' and will go so far as to mount other hens! I had one that did that in the period of time when I did not have a rooster. She pulled the head feathers the way a rooster would. She went through all the 'motions' except actually touching cloacas.

Otherwise I would also suspect molting (they often do this time of year into the winter) and/or mites as others are suggesting. I hate to use insecticides around my birds but in the case of mites I would also use a product like poultry dust or permethrin, because they are the most effective, and over time mites can cause serious problems in otherwise healthy birds. If you decide to treat for mites, be sure to clean your coop well and work the insecticide into the appropriate areas such as roosting boards, etc. There are a lot of threads on here about this. Use caution about spreading these products outside, especially if you have gardens or apiaries, as they are very toxic to bees and other beneficial pollinators.

I don't know. I can barley tell if there is a pecking order! They all get along. Well... I have a small hen who will attack the others if they "steel" her food spot.
Would D.E work for mites?

 

[Mickey Lou 04]

I don't know. I can barley tell if there is a pecking order! They all get along. Well... I have a small hen who will attack the others if they "steel" her food spot.
Would D.E work for mites?

There are mixed reviews. I personally use it and LOVE it. It also cuts down on smell. Although I havent had mites/lice in my own flock, I use DE as a preventative measure. So I cant say whether it treats it very well.

Some people say DE doesnt help. But if you have it on hand it might be worth a shot.

Also I know people who have used it on their dogs and dog beds to help with fleas with success.

 

[Americano Blue]

There are mixed reviews. I personally use it and LOVE it. It also cuts down on smell. Although I havent had mites/lice in my own flock, I use DE as a preventative measure. So I cant say whether it treats it very well.

Some people say DE doesnt help. But if you have it on hand it might be worth a shot.

Also I know people who have used it on their dogs and dog beds to help with fleas with success.

I have some D.e.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have some D.e.

DE won't eliminate mites, it may help to keep numbers down (and that's a subject for much debate ) but it will not rid your birds of parasites.

This is from the link I posted earlier.

Sorry it's a bit blurry. It says.
" silica gel dusts cause desiccation of the mites and can reduce their population in poultry houses. However they are not sufficient to eliminate them ".

 

[Nambroth]

I don't know. I can barley tell if there is a pecking order! They all get along. Well... I have a small hen who will attack the others if they "steel" her food spot.
Would D.E work for mites?

D.E. is a great desiccant and might help prevent mites, but should not be considered a viable treatment for an active mite infestation on birds or housing. Some people might argue otherwise, but you really don't want to mess around if you have enough mites on a bird to start causing poor feather condition, health problems, etc.

So you have a few options, among others....
1) Use the D.E. and hope for the best. Again, not a great idea if you are confident you have mites on your birds. Use care if you apply it near their faces. Respiration of the dust is not good for them.
2) Use a stronger solution such as Sevin or another insecticide. If you are not sure you have mites, this might not be ideal-- applying these treatments should not be taken lightly. They are not inert, after all.
3) Take your bird or a skin scraping to your local vet and examine it under a microscope for telltale mite problems. Even if your vet does not see chickens, they should at least have a microscope available and have someone that knows what mites look like (as all animals can get mites of different types).

 

[Americano Blue]

D.E. is a great desiccant and might help prevent mites, but should not be considered a viable treatment for an active mite infestation on birds or housing. Some people might argue otherwise, but you really don't want to mess around if you have enough mites on a bird to start causing poor feather condition, health problems, etc.

So you have a few options, among others....
1) Use the D.E. and hope for the best. Again, not a great idea if you are confident you have mites on your birds. Use care if you apply it near their faces. Respiration of the dust is not good for them.
2) Use a stronger solution such as Sevin or another insecticide. If you are not sure you have mites, this might not be ideal-- applying these treatments should not be taken lightly. They are not inert, after all.
3) Take your bird or a skin scraping to your local vet and examine it under a microscope for telltale mite problems. Even if your vet does not see chickens, they should at least have a microscope available and have someone that knows what mites look like (as all animals can get mites of different types).

I think i'll just use D.E. I'm not positive they have mites so option 2) feels risky to me.

 

[Fancychooklady]

D.E. is a great desiccant and might help prevent mites, but should not be considered a viable treatment for an active mite infestation on birds or housing. Some people might argue otherwise, but you really don't want to mess around if you have enough mites on a bird to start causing poor feather condition, health problems, etc.

So you have a few options, among others....
1) Use the D.E. and hope for the best. Again, not a great idea if you are confident you have mites on your birds. Use care if you apply it near their faces. Respiration of the dust is not good for them.
2) Use a stronger solution such as Sevin or another insecticide. If you are not sure you have mites, this might not be ideal-- applying these treatments should not be taken lightly. They are not inert, after all.
3) Take your bird or a skin scraping to your local vet and examine it under a microscope for telltale mite problems. Even if your vet does not see chickens, they should at least have a microscope available and have someone that knows what mites look like (as all animals can get mites of different types).

I have made the exact same recommendation , alas I fear it has fallen on deaf ears.