Lavender Orpingtons loosing feathers

6chickens2022

Hatching
Jun 3, 2023
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I have 3 Lavender Orpingtons that are loosing feathers on their backs and now on their necks. We have 3 Americana chickens too. We have been watching them but we never catch them pecking the Orpingtons ! We are wondering if this a common problem with the Orpingtons or do we have cannibalism going on? The chickens are 1 Year old, we have raised from chicks, they are so nice, they have great living and nesting areas….we just feel so bad that the Orpingtons skin is raw on their back and now their necks. Any suggestions??
Thank you!
 
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I have 3 lavender huffingtons that are loosing feathers on their backs and now on their necks. We have 3 Americana chickens too. We have been watching them but we never catch them pecking the Huffingtons! We are wondering if this a common problem with the Huffingtons or do we have cannibalism going on? The chickens are 1 Year old, we have raised from chicks, they are so nice, they have great living and nesting areas….we just feel so bad that the Huffingtons skin is raw on their back and now their necks. Any suggestions??
Thank you!
Welcome to BYC! :frow

Just the other day someone called them Orbingtons.. but Huffingtons is another good one! :lau

I figure you're talking about Orpington..

Sometimes lavender feathers are more brittle than other colors.

Bare and raw are two different things.. is their skin angry red or light pinkish? Have you any roosters? Are they still actively laying? Are you able to post pics?
 
Welcome to BYC! :frow

Just the other day someone called them Orbingtons.. but Huffingtons is another good one! :lau

I figure you're talking about Orpington..

Sometimes lavender feathers are more brittle than other colors.

Bare and raw are two different things.. is their skin angry red or light pinkish? Have you any roosters? Are they still actively laying? Are you able to post pics?
Hello! I will post some pictures. They are laying. They seem happy. Their skin is angry red. Thank for your help! I have taken the 3 Americanas to my friends coop for a few days!
 
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Yes! They are Orpingtons! Hahaha. Here are some pictures.
 

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Mites.

Take one of the birds and look under their wings in the armpit area, and look at the base of the feathers. Also on their necks.

When you start to lose feathers in this area it will either be from mites, or from a rough rooster. If you do have the latter, you'll want to look into trimming his spurs or investing in "chicken saddles"
 
I have taken the 3 Americanas to my friends coop for a few days!
This is actually not a good idea at all, for either party. I don't meant to be harsh, but it is highly unlikely that the ameraucanas are picking out the feathers - far more likely that your chickens have a parasite that is on all the birds, and now in your friends coop.
 
Luckily my friends coop doesn’t have any chickens right now.
Oh good. Yes!

Take a look at the Orps and see if you can see any mites. They move quickly and I have found that sometimes it takes staring at the same spot for 5 minutes on not so bad infestations. On bad infestations you will see them immediately.

If so, you will need to get some permethrin powder. You can put it in a sock, and Pat the bird with it, which will apply it to the bird and ultimately kill the mites (or lice). You will want to repeat a few times, with a couple days in between to make sure you get all the eggs. You'll then want to change all the coop bedding and apply the permethrin powder to the coop and bedding. If there is dried poo on the roosts, make sure to scrape them clean. I recently saw someone say they made a paste with their preventative powder and painted it on. I have this on my list to do the next time maintain the coop here.

For prevention, we choose a more natural approach and use a food grade diatomaceous earth and apply it once a week or whenever you change the coop. There will be folks here who will tell you that is a bad idea or it won't work, but I encourage you to research for yourself 👍

But, regardless you will want to make sure to keep a clean or maintained coop and use preventative measures of some kind.
 
Thank you, thank you for all your help!! This is my 3rd set of chickens and this is the first time I have ever had any type of disease. This winter has been so much cooler, wetter, drizzly, than usual, could that be the cause for mites? I have purchased all of the items you suggested and tomorrow will get the coop all cleaned out and dust the chickens. I may put the paste on the chickens that have the bare backs, if anything, it will help me feel better. Thank you again for all your help.
 
Thank you, thank you for all your help!! This is my 3rd set of chickens and this is the first time I have ever had any type of disease. This winter has been so much cooler, wetter, drizzly, than usual, could that be the cause for mites? I have purchased all of the items you suggested and tomorrow will get the coop all cleaned out and dust the chickens. I may put the paste on the chickens that have the bare backs, if anything, it will help me feel better. Thank you again for all your help.
Hey no problem at all.

Mites are mites. They just come and go. I liken them to fleas on a dog. They are just a part of owning chickens. We've had our chickens get them when we have had our best coop cleaning routines and then not get them when we have neglected the coop for a few weeks. Just something you need to keep an eye on, try and prevent but treat when necessary especially in the warmer months.
 

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