Multi-pronged approach for mites

[desertchix]

My chickens have Depluming mites (I assume). For a while I thought the feather loss was from the fact that we had two roosters. Checked roosts and chickens at night, no sign of mites. They don’t seem to pull their own feathers or scratch themselves much but now it’s at the point where their skin is getting red and irritated. That being said, I bought elector psp for the hens and ivermectin for the roo (he’s freakin huge and only kind of nice). Three questions:
1. Is elector psp really affective as a one and done method? I fear it will be hard to tell if it worked. Plus $30 for 9ml …
2. If I am using ivermectin on the roo and I have to reapply after a week, does that give mites a chance to hop back on hens?
3. I’m treating the hens with elector psp so I don’t have egg withdrawal. If ivermectin roo fertilizes their eggs, should there be egg withdrawal?
Thanks

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My chickens have Depluming mites (I assume). For a while I thought the feather loss was from the fact that we had two roosters. Checked roosts and chickens at night, no sign of mites. They don’t seem to pull their own feathers or scratch themselves much but now it’s at the point where their skin is getting red and irritated. That being said, I bought elector psp for the hens and ivermectin for the roo (he’s freakin huge and only kind of nice). Three questions:
1. Is elector psp really affective as a one and done method? I fear it will be hard to tell if it worked. Plus $30 for 9ml …
2. If I am using ivermectin on the roo and I have to reapply after a week, does that give mites a chance to hop back on hens?
3. I’m treating the hens with elector psp so I don’t have egg withdrawal. If ivermectin roo fertilizes their eggs, should there be egg withdrawal?
Thanks

Looks like some of the feathers are being nipped and plucked. Watch to see if hens are overgrooming him.

Some people have found Elector PSP to be very effective others seem to continue to have some issues. I can't say how well it works, I've never tried it.

Depluming mites live under the feather shaft and feed off blood and feather material, so it's unlikely that a spray like Elector PSP or a Permethrin Based spray will take care of them. For depluming mites, you do want something that is absorbed into the bloodstream so Ivermectin is the treatment. Dosing for that is below.

With depluming mites, a bird would be scratching continually, plucking out their own feathers, stripping them down and pretty miserable. Loss and raggedness just around the neck like that, I would suspect something else, the hens plucking at him or he's sticking his head through fencing and rubbing them off, or similar.

As for mating, it's possible for a negligible amount of Ivermectin to be found in the semen, I had never really thought about that or worried about it. If it's something you worry about, it may be a good idea to keep him separated until you've finished the course of treatment and observe a waiting period of at least 14days after the last treatment (basically 30days).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mites-lice-now-hen-growling.1242981/post-19965544

 

[desertchix]

Thank you.

Looks like some of the feathers are being nipped and plucked. Watch to see if hens are overgrooming him.

Some people have found Elector PSP to be very effective others seem to continue to have some issues. I can't say how well it works, I've never tried it.

Depluming mites live under the feather shaft and feed off blood and feather material, so it's unlikely that a spray like Elector PSP or a Permethrin Based spray will take care of them. For depluming mites, you do want something that is absorbed into the bloodstream so Ivermectin is the treatment. Dosing for that is below.

With depluming mites, a bird would be scratching continually, plucking out their own feathers, stripping them down and pretty miserable. Loss and raggedness just around the neck like that, I would suspect something else, the hens plucking at him or he's sticking his head through fencing and rubbing them off, or similar.

As for mating, it's possible for a negligible amount of Ivermectin to be found in the semen, I had never really thought about that or worried about it. If it's something you worry about, it may be a good idea to keep him separated until you've finished the course of treatment and observe a waiting period of at least 14days after the last treatment (basically 30days).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mites-lice-now-hen-growling.1242981/post-19965544

I do have the dosing from other posts. Thank you. I treated all of them today in the ways I stated above. Lordy Lou I hope it works. We just got through fly strike (I’m traumatized), dealing with mites and today while spraying I saw one hen had bumblefoot. I’m about to lose it. I have a vet coming tomorrow to deal with her. I can’t handle one more gross thing right now.
As for the mites, they don’t seem to preen or scratch or pull at their feathers too much. That’s why it took me so long to decide that it must be Depluming mites. They just got to the point where they look very irritated. I’ll attach another photo that I just took in the dark.

 

[chooki]

I’ll attach another photo that I just took in the dark.

Are you sure this is not from over-mating?

My hens had problem with mites a couple of months ago, but the feather loss was more around the vent area, where mites like to multiply.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Bare back like that does not look like any mite attack I have ever seen. Looks like a plucking by other birds incident.
Ivermectin causes tempory sterility in many small birds - don't know about roos.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you.

I do have the dosing from other posts. Thank you. I treated all of them today in the ways I stated above. Lordy Lou I hope it works. We just got through fly strike (I’m traumatized), dealing with mites and today while spraying I saw one hen had bumblefoot. I’m about to lose it. I have a vet coming tomorrow to deal with her. I can’t handle one more gross thing right now.
As for the mites, they don’t seem to preen or scratch or pull at their feathers too much. That’s why it took me so long to decide that it must be Depluming mites. They just got to the point where they look very irritated. I’ll attach another photo that I just took in the dark.

The pattern of loss of feathers on the hens looks like mating damage and loss.

You can try hen saddles to help protect the skin, separate out the rooster to give the hens a break or just monitor.

The feathers will not be replaced until they molt.