Mites! Help

[Compora13]

We have 16 chickens and noticed them losing feathers. Assuming it’s mites, is there anything natural we can do? We also have ivermectin but haven’t used it. I was told 4 drops to the back of the chicken

 

[coach723]

You need to examine each bird to see if they have mites. This is best done after dark once they go to roost, take them off the roosts and go over them with a flashlight or headlamp to check. Some mites only come out at night, and hide in the coop, and get the birds while roosting. Ivermectin has lost it's effectiveness for many parasites, a permethrin product would be better, or Elector PSP. If you do find mites you will need to treat the birds, and the coop, at 7 day intervals to get them all, eggs can continue to hatch. Link below with more on lice/mites.
Having said that, depending on age, and other factors, the feather loss could be molt, feather picking from over crowding or boredom, etc.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[nuthatched]

They also could be molting or getting picked.
How old are they? Can you get pictures?