PeachyPeckers
Chirping
- Jul 27, 2023
- 40
- 57
- 56
I know tons of people here have posted on this, and i have read EVERYTHING i can find about this, but i am still not sure! I have been searching for answers for 2+ weeks.
I have a Blue andelusian named Coffee, i have inspected her and the barn (at night time too) every other day for mites and lice and i cant find anything visible but i am convinced that im just not seeing the parasite... here's the story of Coffee...
July 5th: i suspected mites or lice on my BR from the behavior she was exibiting, however she seemed fine the next day. But i took precaution and gave the barn a clean and dusted with DE. Didn't treat any chickens because i didn't find any parasite on their bodies.
July 5, 6, 7, 8 Coffee has completely stopped laying, strange because she only skips 1 or 2 days sometimes. The BR was acting lethargic and weird on july 5th but has continued to lay regularly and seems totally fine, with no feather loss from her.
July 9: I found a pile of little fluffy feathers in what looks like a dirt bath hole (just like a pillow fight, a sign of molt, they say). I thought it was my baby lavendar orp getting picked on, but upon further inspection, I noticed a bunch of the fluffy thigh and tushy feathers missing from Coffee. I inspected around the vent but didn't see any redness on the skin or any parasites.
Another pile of feathers in the coup was found the next day... ok, maybe a molt??
She has completely stopped laying and started losing feathers on her head and neck. But the feathers seem to be growing back just as fast as she is losing them. She is eating and drinking pretty normally. She is pretty flighty normally and is even worse now that she's growing new feathers, but i have been diligently inspecting her everywhere, including under wings and vent despite her protest. I dont see anything that looks obviously like mites.
The reasons why im confused based on what I've read:
1) Molt starts from top to bottom. But she lost feathers from bottom to top. Also, she doesn't look like any other molting pictures that i have seen. She just looks like Sh!$ and idk if mites or molt lol
2) Some people say you won't see the mites/lice with your naked eye because they are so microscopic, but some pictures show that it's pretty obvious, and that you can see the eggs on the feather base. Maybe im just not seeing them?! Her skin/feathers dont look like any of the mite and lice pictures either!
3)she seems to be acting normally, digging around, eating, and coming for treats. Goes crazy on the mealworms and scrambled eggs that i give her to help grow feathers back. BUT she does seem to be resting/sun bathing more than normal, and ALL of the chickens, including Coffee, seem like they are preening/scratching sooooo much, is that normal?
4) Coffee is about 17 to 18 months old, which is apparantly prime first molt age. Im also in the process of integrating the chicks i got this year. I started it before Coffee started losing feathers, maybe shes stressed? They are about 16 weeks old. Is coffee molting, or just stressed? Or is her feathers/skin dirty from dust bath, or is it mites?
She looks so raggedy and terrible. Her feathers do look really dirty and bad. At what point will i know for certain that it's mites or not? Would the other chickens be sjowing signs at this point? It's been a couple of weeks. How long can hens have mites untreated before they actually die or show more obvious behavior and signs of mites?
I included some pictures of her vent, and feathers. I cannot find any signs of actual parasites but you can clearly see the feather loss and new feathers directly around the vent! I also inspected the feathers on the ground and didnt see any eggs or anything obvious. Her skin looks alittle yellow and crusty in some places too.
I have a Blue andelusian named Coffee, i have inspected her and the barn (at night time too) every other day for mites and lice and i cant find anything visible but i am convinced that im just not seeing the parasite... here's the story of Coffee...
July 5th: i suspected mites or lice on my BR from the behavior she was exibiting, however she seemed fine the next day. But i took precaution and gave the barn a clean and dusted with DE. Didn't treat any chickens because i didn't find any parasite on their bodies.
July 5, 6, 7, 8 Coffee has completely stopped laying, strange because she only skips 1 or 2 days sometimes. The BR was acting lethargic and weird on july 5th but has continued to lay regularly and seems totally fine, with no feather loss from her.
July 9: I found a pile of little fluffy feathers in what looks like a dirt bath hole (just like a pillow fight, a sign of molt, they say). I thought it was my baby lavendar orp getting picked on, but upon further inspection, I noticed a bunch of the fluffy thigh and tushy feathers missing from Coffee. I inspected around the vent but didn't see any redness on the skin or any parasites.
Another pile of feathers in the coup was found the next day... ok, maybe a molt??
She has completely stopped laying and started losing feathers on her head and neck. But the feathers seem to be growing back just as fast as she is losing them. She is eating and drinking pretty normally. She is pretty flighty normally and is even worse now that she's growing new feathers, but i have been diligently inspecting her everywhere, including under wings and vent despite her protest. I dont see anything that looks obviously like mites.
The reasons why im confused based on what I've read:
1) Molt starts from top to bottom. But she lost feathers from bottom to top. Also, she doesn't look like any other molting pictures that i have seen. She just looks like Sh!$ and idk if mites or molt lol
2) Some people say you won't see the mites/lice with your naked eye because they are so microscopic, but some pictures show that it's pretty obvious, and that you can see the eggs on the feather base. Maybe im just not seeing them?! Her skin/feathers dont look like any of the mite and lice pictures either!
3)she seems to be acting normally, digging around, eating, and coming for treats. Goes crazy on the mealworms and scrambled eggs that i give her to help grow feathers back. BUT she does seem to be resting/sun bathing more than normal, and ALL of the chickens, including Coffee, seem like they are preening/scratching sooooo much, is that normal?
4) Coffee is about 17 to 18 months old, which is apparantly prime first molt age. Im also in the process of integrating the chicks i got this year. I started it before Coffee started losing feathers, maybe shes stressed? They are about 16 weeks old. Is coffee molting, or just stressed? Or is her feathers/skin dirty from dust bath, or is it mites?
She looks so raggedy and terrible. Her feathers do look really dirty and bad. At what point will i know for certain that it's mites or not? Would the other chickens be sjowing signs at this point? It's been a couple of weeks. How long can hens have mites untreated before they actually die or show more obvious behavior and signs of mites?
I included some pictures of her vent, and feathers. I cannot find any signs of actual parasites but you can clearly see the feather loss and new feathers directly around the vent! I also inspected the feathers on the ground and didnt see any eggs or anything obvious. Her skin looks alittle yellow and crusty in some places too.
