Possible Mite Infestation?

[Wyorp Rock]

They are fed layer crumbles with mixed birdseed with worms for treats and I will give them bananas with powdered vitamins, crushed eggshells, various fruit and vegetable scraps as treats.

Their coop is I believe a 4x6 with 4 nesting boxes and the entire bottom is run. I also hang a cabbage to prevent boredom.

Do you mix the birdseed with the layer feed or is that given separately?
I would cut back on the treats a bit and increase protein.

While they may have done well up until now in the coop/run, when birds are molting they can be quite touchy/cranky and sensitive. Essentially, they are getting on each others nerves. Letting them out more may help with the picking problems, but long term, if possible, add more run space to help relieve tensions.

There are no hard and fast rules for coop/run dimensions, but for large fowl a good "guideline" is to provide 4 sq ft of coop space per chicken and 10 sq ft of run space per chicken. Some get along with less while others need much more room.

 

[PirateGirl]

As previously mentioned the mites that generally infest our chickens and chicken coops do not generally feed on mammals, so will not cause itching/biting of humans. You may have two different things going on.

One other way to check for mites, go out the coop after dark, take a white sheet of paper or paper towel, run it along the roost bar. If it comes out covered with red smears, you've got mites in the coop that have been feeding on the chickens at night. I agree not to treat chickens until you know what you have. I had a serious mite infestation over the summer and when I looked at the roost by flashlight it was obvious, it looked like the roost was moving there were so many creepy crawlies on there, but my first clue was not the feather loss on my chickens. I guess what I'm saying is that a mite infestation has to get pretty bad before you see obvious signs of it in your birds, at which time it will be fairly obvious in your coop too. Permetherin spray works. You can mist the whole coop in the morning while the birds are outside and then mist the birds themselves when they go to roost, also dispose of all old bedding at that time. Repeat in 7-10 days, repeat one more time in another 7-10 days.