Losing Feathers

[grunnt55]

My chicken are losing their feathers. I think it might be mites. Can someone tell me how I can treat them..please ?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

To treat for mites I dust the chicken with a pyrethrin based poultry dust, as well as any cracks in the coop, especially around the roosts and in the nestboxes under the bedding.

There can be many reasons a chicken loses feathers. Usually they don't lose feathers with mites unless they have depluming mites, which aren't common. Other reasons for feather lose are from mating, others plucking them, and molting.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @grunnt55 Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos?

Feather loss can be due to a number of things - molting, featherpicking, overmating, etc.
Check your chicken over for any visible critters, if you find any, treat with a permethrin based poultry dust or spray. Clean out your coop and treat it as well. Repeat treatment and clean out in 7-10days or follow the manufacturers label.

Mite/Lice I.D.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

Permethrin products
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1151513/pesticides-approved-for-poultry

 

[aart]

My chicken are losing their feathers. I think it might be mites. Can someone tell me how I can treat them..please ?

Welcome to BYC!
Before treating for pests that you might not have,
it's best to examine some other things first.

How old are your chickens... and how many do you have?
How are they housed....coop and run sizes in feet by feet?
What and how exactly are you feeding?

Last listed but not least is:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

If you do find some...check out this thread:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray