Just curious!

[djstanczak]

If what you are doing now doesn't work you might try Garlic juice applied to legs to kill leg mites. Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily says a UK study found it is 100% kill for leg mites. I like using natural as much as possible but when it comes to worms and lice/mites I am in the valbazen for worms and permithtrin for bugs camp.

I am not sure leg mites would cause the inflammation on the chickens butt. You may have another problem, since you do not like to handle them could you find a vet to look at her.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

To Cluckcluck1215:
WE love Plymouth Barred Rocks too! And...I'm amazed to see that I'm not the only one who things pet rats are neat! If I wanted one, I'd get a white one and would raise him from a baby. They are clean - just like the others - it's people's FILTH that attract them for food only!

Same with pigs! Pigs are immaculately clean animals, but have to stay cool so they use mud and/or dirt to keep cool and prevent sun burn, just like elephants, rhinos, etc. !

I love all animals...except crocs, gators, poisonous snakes (harmless ones are cool too), domestic cats and squirrels! Love BIG CATS however. So majestic and powerful!

Reminds me of my Henrietta....lol!
View attachment 1049731

Yes!I, Myself have NEVER owned a rat, But I just think they are so cute!i hate calling thems RATS, It's sound like calling them a pest or something, So I call them Mini Dogs

Crocs, Gators and Sharks are three things I can't handle!
(Expect for Dog sharks, Love them!I petted one once!)

Anyway, I really Dnt have much more advice for you, Sorry!

 

[Clucksworth12]

In July 2016, we bought two pullet Barred Rocks, however, they look so different from one another even now, we are curious if one may have something wrong with her.

The hen in my profile pic is Abigail. She has a "full figure" and lays
eggs that are dark brown with thick shells that are also "round" like she is...lol!

Henrietta is now tall, lean, missing all her butt feathers, under the tail, but skin looks fine. Her eggs are light colored and elongated. Shells mostly okay but not like Abby's!

Her coloring is no longer the same as Abby's either, so we would like to know what may be wrong with her...we are not even sure there is anything wrong with her, but she no longer looks the same as when we first got her in July of 2016.

Btw...they both get along great and love being together!!

Her appetite, activity level, interest in eating, drinking, etc., is identical in every way to Abigail's, so we are not sure what to think any more!

Thanks everyone!
LindaV 6/2017

Here are the pics. Hope they help! The girls will be 1-yr old next month and we got them together. Neither has molted yet.

I guess Henrietta is picking tiny bugs off Abigail's face? They do this a lot and both seem to enjoy it!

View attachment 1040204 View attachment 1040205 View attachment 1040206 View attachment 1040207 View attachment 1040208 View attachment 1040209 View attachment 1040210 View attachment 1040211 View attachment 1040212 View attachment 1040213 View attachment 1040215 View attachment 1040216 View attachment 1040217 View attachment 1040218 View attachment 1040219 View attachment 1040220 View attachment 1040221 View attachment 1040222 View attachment 1040223 View attachment 1040224 View attachment 1040226 View attachment 1040227 View attachment 1040228

She is a Plymouth barred rock, no doubt. I think she is already molting and clearly is missing feather for it. She is probably just a little bit if an odd ball! She just has a unique personality but I think she may have another breed in her bloodlines beocuse of the different colored eggs

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm guessing that Henrietta is simply an inferior bird. I might question if there is an issue with mites, perhaps even microscopic mites that live in the feather shafts. I also ? the "picking bugs off each other's faces" I've never seen any bugs on my bird's faces, or any other part of their bodies, for that matter. One of the pics of Abigail's feet looked like her scales are rough and raised. I'm not sure if that is truly what I was seeing. But you might do a thread search for scaly leg mites. Treatment for that is super easy. Any oil will smother the mites if they are present. Also, do a thorough coop inspection and inspection of H for mites/lice.

 

[Linda V]

Gee...that sounds pretty bad. I have used Chicken/fowl/poultry-grade DE in the sand in their coop, roosting drawer and in summers - their sand nests. In winter, of course, they use the Tractor Supply brand of wood shavings for their nests.

I haven't observed any serious itch/scratch issues with either of them so this comes as a surprise...especially since they have a strong bond with one another and, as you saw, Abigail looks like a Xmas turkey! They both get a lot of yard greens (chem free), small amts of seedless grapes, water & either crumbles or pellets - they love both, so I doubt Abby is "fat!" They both lay pretty nice eggs, but Abby's is always better to some degree.

They are not "hand raised" so trying to get too close to them is a nightmare and stresses them out like they are going to be killed. They trust me but even so...I dare not try to reach out too far...lol!

Thanks for your opinion and advice....I shall look into it for sure! Here's how they looked the week we got them! Hard to tell them apart!

Back later with results & thanks for your time on this...and I doubt you're a "lazy" anything...lol!

Linda in NC

 

[Kiki]

I have used Chicken/fowl/poultry-grade DE in the sand in their coop, roosting drawer and in summers - their sand nests.


DE does not prevent or actually kill bugs on them or their bedding/coop.

 

[Kiki]

Even for the people who are able to pick up their chickens and use DE on them it still will NOT kill the bugs.
DE does NOT kill bugs, period.

 

[Kiki]

You have mentioned several times that you don't touch your chickens...
Some bugs are so small you would Never see them from a distance.
You chicken being bald is not normal. It is probably itching and putting out it's own feathers from trying to scratch.

 

[lazy gardener]

agreed.

 

[Kiki]

Your chickens butt is RED...look at the pictures you just posted of her.

We are here to offer advice.
You are not listening to any of it, so good luck with your DE and chicken.