Odd Feather Issue

[PhenixJiRa]

Since about august one of my hens has been losing feathers and most of them are on her hips under the wings or around the back side. Basically she’s losing all of her small fluffy feathers.

At the time I figured she was molting and I still have a feeling she will drop them all in the fall. She is a little over 1 1/2 years old.

Unfortunately her sad featherless skin gets chapped looking and red at times. She is not picked on (2nd in pecking order) and continues to lay more eggs than anyone else.

So I haven’t really been worried. Figured she is just an odd duck and have just been watching.

But maybe someone here has seen this before and can set my mind at ease?

Side note; I have another hen with a tennis ball sized patch of skin under the vent area that simply has no feathers but she didn’t molt much either. It’s funny looking but she seems unaware and she is the leader of the flock so no one seems to notice.

 

[Saveria]

Is she the only one having this issue? I had two hens bring in depluming mites that
I didn't catch in quarantine, they had similar symptoms.

 

[PhenixJiRa]

Is she the only one having this issue? I had two hens bring in depluming mites that
I didn't catch in quarantine, they had similar symptoms.

She’s the only one like this and it’s been ongoing for quite a long while. I do have the other hen with an area right below the vent where the feathers seem to have worn off maybe due to sitting or because she gets poop on herself a lot.

I haven’t seen any bugs but maybe they are too tiny to see? She never molted like the other of her breed who looks real good right now!

 

[Saveria]

Yeah, depluming mites are microscopic. Does she scratch that area with her beak often?

 

[PhenixJiRa]

Yeah, depluming mites are microscopic. Does she scratch that area with her beak often?

I watch them quite a bit and have never seen her give it any attention. The closest is when she preens and she typically just preens where there are feathers.

Is that a symptom? Itchiness and picking on the area.

 

[Saveria]

Yeah. Depluming mites live under the skin and cause irritation to the point that they scratch their own feathers off while preening.

It seems like there is a lot of mysterious feather loss in chickens it seems. I guess you can see what happens after molt, or maybe someone else will have some ideas.

 

[PhenixJiRa]

Yeah. Depluming mites live under the skin and cause irritation to the point that they scratch their own feathers off while preening.

It seems like there is a lot of mysterious feather loss in chickens it seems. I guess you can see what happens after molt, or maybe someone else will have some ideas.

Hey there. So what did you do for the depluming mites?

 

[Saveria]

Ivermectin is the only one that I know of that will get rid of them. Let me see if I can find dosing info, I don't remember. Pretty sure there is an egg withdrawal, but you can wait till fall if you need to. Depluming mites are less serious in comparison to the other mites and lice.

I don't really know how to tell if it is that or not, I just knew it from how it was traveling around my flock. Most of my evidence is empirical, and it is hard to find definitive info on it. You may want to rule out any other causes first.