Questions and guidance on mites (?)

[akiniry]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and am looking for guidance as I think a few of my birds have mites. I am not sure if they are mites or not but I have a suspicion that it is. If it would be helpful, I could take pictures of them and post here.

In this one coop, we have 8 girls that will be 24 months in April. One of the girls (Peanut) had lost feathers on her vent area fairly early on and hasn't had them there for sometime however now she is losing feathers on her wings, neck and head. Also, we have another chicken who has recently lost several of her feathers as well (I don't believe she is molting).

Is it possible for only a couple of chickens in the flock to be affected by mites but not all of them? Should I separate these girls and put them in a dog kennel to try and treat them and get them back to health? Are there specific vitamins that could help with this, if so what would people recommend? They are both smaller birds and one was a very late developer. What is the best way to treat the coop? We live in Vermont- and they have been cooped up in the coop for most of the winter because it was so cold. We do have a heat lamp that we run in the coop at night as well and I clean the coop regularly. Their bedding consists of pine shavings.

Any information you can provide would be appreciated!

Thank you,
Angela

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @akiniry Welcome To BYC

Photos are always helpful!

Use a permethrin based poultry spray or dust to treat your flock and your coop. You will want to retreat again in 7-10days to kill any that have hatched.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1151513/pesticides-approved-for-poultry

Feather loss can be due to a number of things, so will wait for photos to give other suggestions.

 

[akiniry]

Hi @akiniry Welcome To BYC

Photos are always helpful!

Use a permethrin based poultry spray or dust to treat your flock and your coop. You will want to retreat again in 7-10days to kill any that have hatched.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1151513/pesticides-approved-for-poultry

Feather loss can be due to a number of things, so will wait for photos to give other suggestions.

Thank you for your warm welcome and reply. Here are a few pics that I was able to get of a couple of the girls. The chickens are actually picking at one of them and there were a couple of blood spots. Should I remove her from the coop? Any guidance would be so greatly appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would treat the flock with permetrhin and clean out the coop.

It does look like they are picking at each other as well.
How much space do you have in your coop/run?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

Try increasing your protein - you can offer egg, tuna or meat or use 18-20%chick starter or flock raiser feed if you prefer.
Poultry vitamins once a week in the water won't hurt either.

I do see some stripped out feathers on the tail and wings of the one hen - that could be from over-preening - is she digging at herself a lot? You could be dealing with feather mites instead of just plain 'ol mites. Look through the feathers, can you see physical "bugs" or clumps that look like qtips in the feathers?
If you are dealing with feather mites- you cannot see those, they live in the feather shaft and would need to be treated with Ivermectin.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've been told that egg is not actually that high in protein. It looks like you have some feather picking going on, and a thorough inspection for mites/lice is in order. Do a google search and read up on the different types, so you will know what you are looking for.

WR asks a valid question, which needs to be answered to get to the root of your problem. And I have a couple more questions:

What is the actual size of your coop and your run? L x W x H? How many birds?

What are you feeding them? What is the protein %? And what is the mill date on the feed? Are you giving them ANY thing else to eat? If so, what, and how much?

If you do have mites or lice, you will have to completely strip the bedding out of the coop and burn it or remove it from your property. Treat the coop. Treat the birds. And repeat the process 7 - 10 days later, depending on what your temps are.

 

[akiniry]

Hi,
Thank you both for your responses. To answer your questions, I have 8 girls in a coop that is 4 x 8. They also have a few runs but two are closed off for the winter. So the winter run space is 4 x 6.5 x 10 plus under the coop. They have been in the coop for several weeks this winter without being let out to the run area because it has been super cold with wind chills and temps below zero. I only let them out if it is going to be 20 degrees- Fahrenheit or more. Today is sunny and 55 so I am going to clean the coop and treat the chickens for mites. As far as treats, will will feed them some scratch and meals worms. I have recently begun feeding them old fashioned oatmeal with meals worms in the morning (about 1 cup of oats and 2 tablespoons meal worms with a little of warm water. As far as food, we feed them Green Mountain Organic Layer Pellets- I have upload the nutritional information for your review. Any additional thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. I am sick about this and just want them better. Any advice on what other treats that I should feed them, different type of food, anything! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[akiniry]

Oh and how much tuna should I feed them daily?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have 8 girls in a coop that is 4 x 8. They also have a few runs but two are closed off for the winter. So the winter run space is 4 x 6.5 x 10 plus under the coop. They have been in the coop for several weeks this winter without being let out to the run area because it has been super cold with wind chills and temps below zero. I only let them out if it is going to be 20 degrees- Fahrenheit or more.

Your coop space is bare minimum for large fowl, imho, so with them being "cooped up" in the winter, most likely you are dealing with boredom and feather picking. I'm a bit confused as to the winter run space - is it 4X6 or 4X10 Ideally, run space should be 10sq ft. per bird for large fowl - the more the better. With 8 hens that would be an 8X10run. I realize you want to keep them safe and warm in winter and wind chills have been brutal this year, but personally, I let mine decide if they want to venture out or not, so during the day, I leave the pop door to the coop open and all my runs open too. Adding some wind blocks helps get them outside too.

As far as treats, will will feed them some scratch and meals worms. I have recently begun feeding them old fashioned oatmeal with meals worms in the morning (about 1 cup of oats and 2 tablespoons meal worms with a little of warm water.

Thank you for posting what you feed. I may be missing something there too - I don't see the protein% listed. Aim for at least 16%protein feed. Scratch, mealworm, oatmeal, etc. are fine treats, but limit those to no more than 5-10% of daily intake. Mealworms are a great source of protein, but are also packed with fat. Your girls may enjoy their feed made into a mash, you can still add a little oatmeal and mealworms to entice them. Mine love wet feed and still think it's a great "treat" LOL

If they must remain in the coop, make sure you have some ventilation and consider giving them something to do instead of picking at each other. Hanging veggies like cabbage, kale or fruit like apple helps keep them occupied.

 

[akiniry]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your insight. I have cleaned the coop, treated the coop, treated the chickens, increased their feed to 18% protein feed, gave them one does of vitamins and am getting some veggies to hang to keep them entertained in the coop.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Keep in mind, that some of the picked/broken feather shafts are still in the skin, so your girls may not fully feather back out until they molt.

I hope all goes well for you.