I bought some pythrethin (sp) poultry powder that I am going to try. I'm not sure how I'm going to catch the birds and put it on them, but I will try. I will also clean out their coop this weekend and maybe sprinkle this on the floor. I think you're right, that it must be lice. I also think the missing feathers and scabbing at base of tails is from "Blue." I saw him on the smallest Easter Egger hen.
Easiest way to catch a chicken is wait until they go to roost and then pluck them off of the roost. Do what you need to do with them and then return them to the roost.
Once you catch them, hold them firmly by both feet and turn upside down. They'll have a fit for about 10 second and then go limp. From there, you can lay them on their backs and dust them. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and a dust mask while you do so. Then just apply below their vents, under each wing/wing-pit and work it down to their skin with your fingers. Turn them over and apply a little to the backs of the heads and along their backs (shoulders to tail) and work into the feathers as well. In 7-10 days, give them a check to see what remains (should only be small lice, not adults) and re-apply the same way. In 7-10 more days, check again. They should all be gone. If not, get a different dust and start over.
Lice live on the chickens and don't dwell on the ground/bedding material for long, so if you clean out the coop and rake out the run after each dusting, you should be in good shape.
The scabby area you mentioned may be a combination of things. Feather loss from the lice, picking/plucking at the lice, and mating. Plus, once chickens see blood or a scab, they tend to keep pecking at it and it only gets worse. Get some Blue Kote and apply to the wound. It'll help keep it clean and stain it a dark purple/blue that won't catch they attention so much.
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