mites or molting?

[TwoCrows]

Yes. Mites suck the blood out of the birds and drain the life right out of the chickens. So yes, the egg production will slow to a crawl and stop all together eventually if mites get out of control. Mites can kill your birds over time.

 

[gander007]

 

[dani99]

Is Devin dust harmful to hens? I was also wondering how to I stop hens from laying on the ground and how to stop them pecking the eggs?

 

[sourland]

Hello

and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above for dealing with mites, you might also post pictures of the birds if you can't figure out what is going on. Have you seen any of them pecking on each other, plucking feathers?

Have you seen mites or lice on your hens? If not this sounds more like a case of feather plucking/eating.

 

[dani99]

It's decently not that beccause they are not laying fully and there is large bald red patches around there vent. any advice on how to treat them. I used a mite powder do 2 weeks now and it doesn't seem to be doing anything any advice?

 

[dani99]

 

[dani99]

That's the problem

 

[Rosecomb Lover]

In a few species that don't tend to go broody yes. I suggest having a vet check, this happened to my Rosecomb cross Sebright hen, Queen Girl. Powdering didn't work for me so go to a vet and they will probably prescribe something.

 

[dani99]

Ok do you know how much that would cost?

 

[TwoCrows]

This looks like a combination of broodiness and eating her feathers. Stop with the mite dust. It will only irritate the skin. Birds broody or not, will pluck feathers from the breast. She may be overly plucking them and eating them. I would get her more protein in her diet with some cooked ground turkey or ground beef a few times a week. When she molts this fall, and stops laying, she will regrow these feathers.