Problem under hen's wing

[JDWJR]

We have four hens born in February 2013. I noticed the feathers on one of their wings appeared to be sticking away from her body. When checking under the wing I found something that looked like a black type of mold under her feathers on her body and the feathers on her body in that area were coming out or turning to something looking like cotton. I have no idea what this could be, how to treat it if possible, or this is something that could spread. Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

 

[StephieSky]

Here's a picture of a rather bad infestation of Norther Fowl Mites

The northern fowl mite is a blood sucking mite that can be found on poultry day and nite. It is commonly found on poultry in California. Eggs and mites are commonly found under wings, next to the soft feathers of the body, in the feathers above and below the vent, in the beard and the crest ( if you bird has those ) and on feathers that are high on the legs.
These mites are often associated with wild birds so if this is what your bird has you will also need to deter wild birds from visiting your run, coop and/or feeders.

This mite can complete its life cycle in less than 7 days. It has two blood feeding stages, one of which is the adult stage. They lay white or off white eggs in bundles on the fluff surrounding the feather shaft. (check your bird carefully)

If you find your bird has northern fowl mites, all birds in the flock should be treated twice, with a 5 -7 day interval between treatments. An adult northern fowl mite can only survive starvation for up to 2 to 3 weeks so you'll need to be alert to reinfestation.


Check out Michael Apple's recommendation -
" I've seen all sorts of infestations. For large infestations a dip made from Permectrin II or Ravap EC does the job. It should be done on a warm day so birds don't get chilled. Wear OB gloves like the horse folks use. Submerge the birds in a mixed solution up to their necks so you don't get any in their eyes or mouth. You can use Adam's flea dip for dogs too. With either Permectrin II or Ravap, a solution can also be made to spray the birds. Frontline spray is also a good product since it only takes a small spritz right below the vent where Northern Fowl Mites like to congregate. Re-infestations often happen because the coop environment hasn't been treated. Wild bird nests in range areas can harbor breeding grounds for mites too. When you have an infestation, all coop litter must be removed from the house. Shop Vac it too. Treat all nests, floors, roosts, walls, cracks, and crevices with the Permethrin/Ravap solution. I do this every three months and never have mites/lice on the birds. - by Michael Apple "