problem with the girls

[ottawaflysthecoop]

i have a road-island red and a leghorn that i tend in an urban coop out of central ottawa. it has been about one year now without many troubles - a half-dozen eggs to bothered neighbours here and there and an open dialogue. they are on a diet of standard hygrowth feed, crushed oyster and egg shell with as many greens as we can get them and have more than enough space to move about, inside and out. they each lay one egg a day; the road-island, medium to extra-large grade eggs and the leghorn, small to medium. there is no canabalism that i am aware of, however my girls are both breast-bare and the road-island is bare up the neck with a patch on her head. thought it was moulting, but it lasted all winter and only now does it look like there is some regrowth on the road-island. i have used fossilized shell flour (food-grade d.e.) topically and with a small amount mixed in the feed as well as scatted around the coop and their nest. and now it seems that both of their crops are enlarged and a little red.
thoughts?

 

[jenjscott]

If you have a severe mite or louse infestation, the DE may not be enough. Have you done a close-up inspection of the feathers and skin? Have you changed to a different kind of bedding?

 

[ottawaflysthecoop]

just started getting warm here, so the coop is shortly getting flipped with a good scrub, more de and new bedding. i have leftover hay from last season which has been stored in the coop over winter, but i think for the sake of further pest problems i am going to switch to cedar chips, sawdust and a bit of dirt. as for physical inspection, i have seen no signs of any mites. the feathers on the road -island seem to be slowly growing back, but i am not certain of how long the process is supposed to take.