Mites, lice , feather plucking help!

[RobynD]

I don't see lice or mites or aggressive chickens!!! But they could be there? What is causing this?

 

[RobynD]

This is happening to 5 of my 7 chickens. 2 not as badly.

 

[asokatonu]

Do you have a rooster? The lost feathers could be signs of over breeding. When breeding the rooster will try to sit on the hens back. This is not always successful because of this the rooster with try to position himself properly, which can pull out or cause damage to feathers. Often a rooster will choose a favorite hen and she will often have a bare back because of this, but I have had cases where 3 or 4 of my hens have been bare backed silly roosters. For one rooster it is often recommended to have around 8-10 hens just so he is evenly distributed. Sense the missing feathers all appear to be on their backs and sides this seems like the most likely reason. If you don’t have a rooster it is possible that they are molting or plucking. Molting is a natural process that chickens go through, often around this time of year and I believe it is also common in the fall. When molting they will lose and then grow back many of their feathers. It is also possible that it is plucking (I do not think it looks like plucking). When plucking there is normally one or two hens that are doing the plucking and they often appear unharmed while the others will have missing feathers. Plucking can be causes by a hen being stress. If they are to cold or to hot or if they are kept in a place that is to small they could be stressed, which could cause plucking. Calcium deficiencies could also cause the hens to pluck each other in an attempt to gain calcium from each other’s feathers. Other then that if it is not lice or mites I am not so sure. Good luck!

 

[JenniferPerri]

I also have one of my girls losing feathers. I don't have a rooster. I only have 5 hens that free range for several hours a day. 2 of the 5 girls have stopped laying but Mrs White seems to be the only one losing heaps of feathers. I didn't know if it was lice or mites or just normal moulting ( although this hasn't happened before) or one of the others attacking her? She is usually the friendliest but I notice she is off on her own a fair bit and not willing to be picked up either. Previously when any hen has been broody they just sit in the box all day?? Can you give me an idea what you think it might be please

 

[asokatonu]

Hello, @JenniferPerri, looking at your hens this really doesn’t look like molting. It could be plucking which could explain her skittishness. It seems to me that if the other hens were picking on her she would be more skittish of them, but she really shouldn’t be any extra skittish towards you, this and the fact that the 2 hens have stoped lay makes me lean more towards mites or lice. When a hen gets infested with parasites her body can become stressed, which would cause them to slow or stop their egg laying all together. Honestly before anything else I would suggest you check your hens over for lice or mites. This will be easiest at night because they will all be settled down so they will be easier to catch. When looking for lice carefully lift up the feathers around the head and under the wattles, check for eggs they will look like small whiteish clusters around the basses of the feathers. Also check for small quick moving whiteish insects around the hens vent area. You will do a similar thing to check for mites except I believe that the eggs are normally laid around the edges of the feathers and the bugs are normal reddish in color and they are often harder to find because they are really fast. If you do find any sign of eggs and you have a chance to get a picture that would be great. I hope this will be helpful.

 

[JenniferPerri]

Thanks so much, I will give that a go.

 

[asokatonu]

No problem! I would suggest bringing a helper along with you when you go to check your hens. It can be a little hard to hold onto a hen and move her feathers all while trying to hold a flashlight . Even if the 2 hens that are not laying don’t appear to have any parasites you should also check your other hens and make sure they don’t have any ether.

 

[RobynD]

Do you have a rooster? The lost feathers could be signs of over breeding. When breeding the rooster will try to sit on the hens back. This is not always successful because of this the rooster with try to position himself properly, which can pull out or cause damage to feathers. Often a rooster will choose a favorite hen and she will often have a bare back because of this, but I have had cases where 3 or 4 of my hens have been bare backed silly roosters. For one rooster it is often recommended to have around 8-10 hens just so he is evenly distributed. Sense the missing feathers all appear to be on their backs and sides this seems like the most likely reason. If you don’t have a rooster it is possible that they are molting or plucking. Molting is a natural process that chickens go through, often around this time of year and I believe it is also common in the fall. When molting they will lose and then grow back many of their feathers. It is also possible that it is plucking (I do not think it looks like plucking). When plucking there is normally one or two hens that are doing the plucking and they often appear unharmed while the others will have missing feathers. Plucking can be causes by a hen being stress. If they are to cold or to hot or if they are kept in a place that is to small they could be stressed, which could cause plucking. Calcium deficiencies could also cause the hens to pluck each other in an attempt to gain calcium from each other’s feathers. Other then that if it is not lice or mites I am not so sure. Good luck!

Thank you for your reply. NO Roosters here!!I don't remember my girls molting in the spring just as the days are getting longer...HMMMM. I've upped their protein with meal worms. And I'll put out some ground egg shells for extra calcium. I really do hope it's just molting! There is no blood luckily!

 

[asokatonu]

A little bit of calcium never hurt anyone, but make sure when you feed you hens the mealworms you only do so in moderation. When a chicken is given treats it is important that you don’t over do it. Also when in doubt it is never a bad idea to check them over for parasites.