NEED HELP PLEASE !!!!!!!!

[mullers3acers]

Our chickens are losing their feathers from beak to toe. We are pretty sure that they are not molting. At first we thought it was mites. But it is something else because they are losing their feathers too fast. Need some input fast. We have been dusting the coop with 7 dust but that is not helping .un un un

 

[silkiechicken]

Are you 100% sure it is not molting? I have heavy and light moulters... and the heavy moulters will drop all their feathers like you opened a pillow case... I picked one up and could literally brush off chunks of feathers.

During:

After:

http://students.washington.edu/dianage/new coop/crow.jpg

 

[mullers3acers]

It's mostly our black sexlinks and the dh is concerned that it is mites or lice. We've had chickens lose feathers but not like this.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I can't think of anything else it could be but I wanted to tell you that I cleaned out one of my chickens pen, put in new shavings, all looked good. The very next day it looked like someone blew up a chicken. There were feathers everywhere. It freaked me out when I opened the door. I thought for sure something was killed. It was just a bird that just started to molt all at once. Maybe someone knows of anything else it could be.

 

[silkiechicken]

Are there no pin feathers either?

 

[mullers3acers]

The chickens that look the worst look like someone took a leaf blower to them and some feathers stayed and the rest blew away.

 

[eggchel]

Ive never had chickens lose their feathers from an infestation. To check for parasites, look around the vent and the belly near the vent, under the wings and around the back of the neck. Lice will crawl away as soon as you move the feathers, so look quickly. They are often most visible around the vent.
Mites are really really tiny so have someone with good eyes look. To me they just look like specks of dirt ..... that move <shudder> and I have found them around the neck on some silkies.



Chel

 

[mullers3acers]

That is our next move when they go in for the night we are going to take a look and see if we can find bugs.