Mites? graphic pictures.

[paganfish]

Quote:
OK...well, I am feeling a wee bit better. I went to check them and they seem OK. However, they do seem to be molting. I see the dark feather thingies coming up underneath. Ick! Not very attractive looking chickens I gotta tell ya!

How long does the molt last usually? Do they ALL molt together or some are more latent than others? Some of mine are NOT molting but most are. They are all the same age.

 

[rooster-red]

You are better off using pine shavings, it insulates just as good as hay, and cuts down on odor.

I use it on the floor and in nesting boxes.

Do not use the DE with the poisons in it! It will harm your chickens.

If you don't have food grade DE available use sevin dust as described above.

 

[bantymum]

Hi, some breeds will do a full moult one year and 1/2 moult the next, some not at all.
The best thing is to just let them be and pick up all those lovely feathers to prevent pests.
Yes the seven dust sounds good.

 

[paganfish]

Quote:
I am currently using DE and dust anytime I clean the coops. Just as a precaution. It is food based too! I use wood shavings UNDER the straw I throw in the coops. I give it a good 2 inches of wood shavings and put straw on the nestboxes and floor for them to kick around. Ugh! I still have 2 more bales of hay...am I a bad chicken dad???

 

[bantymum]

Not at all, you arent a bad chicken dad, straw looks nice and cosy, just mix in the woodshavings, top and bottom and throw in some powder, im sure they will mix it up anyway.

 

[speckledhen]

I have one hen who just keeps losing feathers and she is the rattiest looking girl and has been like that for maybe two months now. She never has quit laying, just gets more naked by the day. I just noticed today that one hen has a bare bottom suddenly and even some of my 10 month old girls are molting more than I think they should at that age. This is a weird year for all things chicken around my place. Some of mine seemed to molt in a three week period and others seems like they are just dragging it out forever. And it looks awful! To think, they go through this every year, too.

 

[nccountrygirl]

It seems like nature has it backwards, looks like they should molt when it starts getting hot so they would stay cooler.

 

[lauralara]

they sell food grade DE at home depot