Lice? Mites? Molting?!

[SJsChickies]

How often and how long do you sit and watch them?

I watch them probably about an hour a day. Full time job and a 4 year old take up a lot of my time lol.

Does she roost near the ones losing feathers?

She roosts the farthest away from everyone. Sometimes the striped girl roosts next to her though. My dominant 3 roost together. They’re the worst ones picked.

Anything is possible, your treatment of lice or mite should have been effective. Also keep in mind they wont regrow those feathers till they molt around 18 months old.

I didn’t know that; that’s really good info, thank you!

Here’s a pic of another one. She has some scabbing under her feathers too.

 

[Debbie292d]

I’m at a complete loss. About 7 weeks ago I finally realized that the chicken that was picking at the base of her tail and made herself bald, had some sort of bugs. Looked like mites or lice. Treated the whole flock with permethrin while I waited on the Elector PSP. Gutted and cleaned the coop and boxes and sprayed it all with permethrin. When the Elector got here a week later, I treated the whole flock and coop again. Everything seemed to be fine after that. Fast forward to last week, I noticed picking AGAIN! So I repeated the elector treatment with the flock, cleaned and treated the whole coop again and put down new bedding. Now today it looks like they’re picking still I just don’t know what to do anymore. This is what two of the girls look like (the other 2 wouldn’t let me get a pic, and the youngest doesn’t seem to be picking at all) and the one that picked herself bald is STILL bald What can I do?! It’s driving me crazy and I feel so bad for them. Just in case it’s needed, the 4 that are picking are 7/7.5 months old and the one that doesn’t SEEM to be picking is 18 weeks old. They are on Kalmbach 17% layer and I recently added a 20% layer with it for more protein. I clean out the poop from their coop every single morning. Help please!

Generally, the top two reasons for feather picking is overcrowding and lack of protein.

Each chicken should have 4 square feet in the coop, and minimally 10 sq feet each in the run, 15 is best if possible.

You said you added 20% layer. I presume that's an all-flock. I'd go 100% that for a while but it's probably low on calcium, so be sure to provide oyster shell in a dish separate from their feed.

Scrambled eggs are a healthy treat that's high in protein. Other things not as healthy but are high protein are mealworms, canned cat food, tuna in water, and other fish.

 

[SJsChickies]

Generally, the top two reasons for feather picking is overcrowding and lack of protein.

Each chicken should have 4 square feet in the coop, and minimally 10 sq feet each in the run, 15 is best if possible.

You said you added 20% layer. I presume that's an all-flock. I'd go 100% that for a while but it's probably low on calcium, so be sure to provide oyster shell in a dish separate from their feed.

Scrambled eggs are a healthy treat that's high in protein. Other things not as healthy but are high protein are mealworms, canned cat food, tuna in water, and other fish.

There are 5 girls in this part of the run. Their house is 25 sqft and their run is about 70 sqft. The 20% layer I added in has the same calcium content as the 17% I have but I can definitely not mix them and just give them all 20%! It has 3.5-4.5% calcium. (Kalmbach Protein Full Plume Feathering cause I liked the idea of a high protein layer feed.)

When you see feather picking due to protein deficiency, is it usually at the base of the tail like they’re doing? I hope it’s something like this and not bugs cause I’m at my wits-end!

 

[Debbie292d]

There are 5 girls in this part of the run. Their house is 25 sqft and their run is about 70 sqft. The 20% layer I added in has the same calcium content as the 17% I have but I can definitely not mix them and just give them all 20%! It has 3.5-4.5% calcium. (Kalmbach Protein Full Plume Feathering cause I liked the idea of a high protein layer feed.)

When you see feather picking due to protein deficiency, is it usually at the base of the tail like they’re doing? I hope it’s something like this and not bugs cause I’m at my wits-end!

Usually, it's the butt. Yours really do look like a rooster did that by mounting. Mites too are usually around the vent. They can be everywhere on the chicken, but the vent area for sure.

It could be molting as well though. Usually molting starts at the head and goes back from there. But not always.

 

[SJsChickies]

Usually, it's the butt. Yours really do look like a rooster did that by mounting. Mites too are usually around the vent. They can be everywhere on the chicken, but the vent area for sure.

It could be molting as well though. Usually molting starts at the head and goes back from there. But not always.

Well out of the 5 in there 4 are laying and the 5th is only 18 weeks but comb and wattles just now starting to get big and red and rounded Saddle feathers so I’m pretty certain she’s a pullet lol. Also, she’s a brown leg horn and has female coloring. No roosters in the whole flock. If feather picking due to protein deficiency can be at the base of the tail/low back, then hopefully that’s it. I just keep thinking it’s bugs cause I did see a little bug crawling through the one with the bald spot almost 2 months ago when I first treated them. And she picked herself bald at the base of her tail like the others are. I’m so frustrated

And thank you for all your help and advice! (Edit to fix typo)

 

[Debbie292d]

Well out of the 5 in there 4 are laying and the 5th is only 18 weeks but comb and wattles just now starting to get big and red and rounded Saddle feathers so I’m pretty certain she’s a pullet lol. Also, she’s a brown leg horn and has female coloring. No roosters in the whole flock. If feather picking due to protein deficiency can be at the base of the tail/low back, then hopefully that’s it. I just keep thinking it’s bugs cause I did see a little bug crawling through the one with the bald spot almost 2 months ago when I first treated them. And she picked herself bald at the base of her tail like the others are. I’m so frustrated

And thank you for all your help and advice! (Edit to fix typo)

I've not read of anyone having issues of chickens with mites picking out their feathers though. Not saying that's not it, but it's just not something I've seen. I know they itch so they'll try get it at it, but not continue to pull feathers out.

 

[SJsChickies]

I've not read of anyone having issues of chickens with mites picking out their feathers though. Not saying that's not it, but it's just not something I've seen. I know they itch so they'll try get it at it, but not continue to pull feathers out.

That’s reassuring! Thank you! I’ll give them 100% of the higher protein feed and give them fish too and hopefully that will help!

 

[SJsChickies]

I've not read of anyone having issues of chickens with mites picking out their feathers though. Not saying that's not it, but it's just not something I've seen. I know they itch so they'll try get it at it, but not continue to pull feathers out.

Ok they are fully on 20% protein layer feed, I’ve given them some fish and I’m letting them out to run the yard a little longer now just in case they’re getting bored. I also refreshed their dirt bath really good. If it’s a protein thing, how long does it usually take for them to stop picking? A couple weeks? They are still coming out all messed up and looking ugly at the base of their tails

 

[Debbie292d]

Ok they are fully on 20% protein layer feed, I’ve given them some fish and I’m letting them out to run the yard a little longer now just in case they’re getting bored. I also refreshed their dirt bath really good. If it’s a protein thing, how long does it usually take for them to stop picking? A couple weeks? They are still coming out all messed up and looking ugly at the base of their tails

Actually, just a day as now they don't have the yearning for more protein. If they've been doing it for a while, it could be a habit so just keep an eye on them as you may need to pull a victim or perpetrator out for a couple of days to break it.