Rhode Island Reds...Rescued... Mites? Lice? Something feather related?

[NewMomma2017]

Hello BYC family,

I am needing some help figuring out what is going on with our rescue birds. The owner said “Oh the rooster was just too rough!” But I am thinking there is more going on here.
They are about 10 months old, and we’ve had them about 1.5 weeks. We did a round of corid as soon as they arrived. The birds act okay. They are quarantined from my other lovies now. They have an outdoor 4X8 cage for quarantine purposes

that is moved daily for freshness. They are laying pretty well, we have 10 girls and receive at least 5 - 7 eggs/day.
Their feathers and skin are the problem. All are missing some to ALOT of feathers. Some in necks, bottoms, and some all over. Pics included.
Do you think this is lice/mites/ or some other disease or pecking???
I’ve never had this problem with my ladies so not sure what to do.

Also, two of them have a cough/sneeze thing going on. Their living conditions alerts awful to say the least. They were in a shack with no ventilation and at least 50+ birds all walking on each other.
Should I be concerned the sneeze/cough isn’t going away? Is there anything I can do for that??
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Those poor girls! I can’t even imagine what they went through! Bless you for rescuing them! I hope they recover from whatever it is that caused this!

 

[BY Bob]

This is likely primarily feather pecking from the cramped quarters. There could be other problems but I would start with making sure they had plenty of room. I would also try blue kote on the exposed skin. Also high protein feed can help as well.

Keeping birds in those conditions I would expect other issues to show up as well.

Good for you in taking these birds on. They are lucky to have been rescued by you.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

The fact that some are coughing and sneezing is indicative of a respiratory infection. It can be treated but unfortunately the birds will be carriers for life. Since you have them quarantined you can now decide if you want to expose the rest of your flock to the respiratory disease or cull the new arrivals. @casportpony and @KikisGirls can help you out with the type of respiratory disease they may have.

 

[cmom]

It could be mites or similar. I recently had mites for the first time. When I looked at first I didn't see anything but upon further inspection saw these very tiny mites on the birds especially in one coop. I bought some permethrin spray. First I cleaned out all of the coops then I sprayed all of the coops inside and out completely including the walls, floors, roosts and nest boxes as well as any cracks and crevices. My birds are improving, but for now I'm on a weekly spray routine. I did go a little heavy on the mixture initially. I don't know where they came from but suspect wild birds being in the same area as the chickens free range and they may have picked them up. Really don't know where they came from. It has been pretty rainy here this past month and hot.

 

[casportpony]

Should I be concerned the sneeze/cough isn’t going away? Is there anything I can do for that??

How often do they cough and sneeze?

 

[sourland]

Pictures can be deceiving, but they do not look like birds suffering from significant respiratory disease. Feather loss is most likely the result of feather pecking/plucking due to over crowding. Hopefully given enough time and space they will stop this nasty habit and regain better feather quality. Actually for rescue birds they look quite good. Well done on your part giving them a chance at happiness.

 

[BY Bob]

Pictures can be deceiving, but they do not look like birds suffering from significant respiratory disease. Feather loss is most likely the result of feather pecking/plucking due to over crowding. Hopefully given enough time and space they will stop this nasty habit and regain better feather quality. Actually for rescue birds they look quite good. Well done on your part giving them a chance at happiness.

I agree with Sourland. I am a little worried about the space you are providing. 10 birds in 32 square feet is not optimal. It would be far better if you could increase their available free space as much as possible.

You are doing a good thing here. Congratulations

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x casportpony - How often is the coughing/sneezing going on? It's possible the sneezing/cough was due to their living conditions, no ventilation & cramped. I agree, if you can give them a bit more space & continue your observations.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would try to provide as much coop ventilation as possible, and let them outside to free range so they will stop picking feathers from boredom. Give them some added protein in addition to heir layer feed. Placing them on 20% flock raiser with crushed oyster shell on the side might be good for a few weeks to boost their protein level. The coughing or sneezing could just be from dust in food or in the coop. Keep an eye on it, and for any nasal or eye drainage. They may take until their first big molt around 16-18 months old to grow in their new feathers. Glad that you are giving these birds a good home.