Taking Floki to the vet-things I should ask for?

[Mo'sMenagerie]

I've been working on ridding my sweet americauna Floki of quill mites for months...

[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-my-americauna-has-feather-mites.1313946/[/URL]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...long-until-the-tail-feathers-recover.1318358/

Although I am hopeful they have been eradicated after her most recent rounds of ivermectin pour-on, I'm unsure. I don't see mites (never have), but her feathers appear to be getting worse. I found an avian vet about an hour away from me in Portland (Avian and Exotic Veterinary Care) who will see her next weekend.

QUESTION:
What are some supplies or meds I might be able to request from the vet to have at home for potential future flock emergencies?

I don't intend to make this kind of trip often, and would like to make the most out of this trip and cost. Thoughts from my BYC folks?

 

[BantyChooks]

Are you positive it's mites? The photos I saw looked like they could have been caused by malnutrition as well. Or, it could be an individual's feather quality. I have some chickens whose feathers are always ragged no matter where they are in their laying cycle or how well I feed them. I suspect it's genetics.

I haven't dealt with quill mites, so take that with a grain of salt. I don't have any input on medications to request; I have found everything I have ever needed for my birds at the local feed store.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ivermectin is used to treat Depluming (Feather) mites.
Can you post some current photos of the feather damage? Could it be that your hen is getting picked on/feathers pulled or plucked?

Feather damage/loss will not be replaced if the feather shaft is still intact in the skin until the hen molts.

Your vet should be able to pull a few feathers and look at those under a microscope to determine if you are dealing with Depluming mites.

What do you feed and how much space does your flock have?

 

[Folly's place]

x3!

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Ivermectin is used to treat Depluming (Feather) mites.
Can you post some current photos of the feather damage? Could it be that your hen is getting picked on/feathers pulled or plucked?

Feather damage/loss will not be replaced if the feather shaft is still intact in the skin until the hen molts.

Your vet should be able to pull a few feathers and look at those under a microscope to determine if you are dealing with Depluming mites.

What do you feed and how much space does your flock have?

My flock of 10 free ranges on a 100 acre pear orchard during the day, although they never seem to go far from the house. They have an enclosed run where the coop is, and when they are doing work or spraying in the orchard I close them up in there. That area is approx 800-1000 sqft. Have never seen any of them pick on her.

They eat Scratch and Peck organic grower feed with oyster shell and grit offered for free feeding since I have 3 age groups (9 week olds, 4 month olds and 1.5 yr olds) right now. I make fermented feed which i give them in the morning, the rest of the day they free feed out of Grandpa's Feeders.


Interesting to think about nutrition deficiency or even possibly a genetic disorder...? Hmmm. I started giving Rooster Booster in the water to the flock once a week about a month ago.

I found some new shafts of feathers coming in on her neck today--marked them with a permanent marker to see if they end up getting "eaten" by mites that may or may not exist on her.

Sent feathers to @Sue Gremlin early in June who said she did not see any signs of mites at that time.

New photos included below of recent inspection of her feather shafts, some newly molted feathers that show the "chewing" issue, and a close up of her tail feathers (took this while she was dust bathing so thats why they are covered in dirt and disheveled).

 

[Kathy Golla]

It doesn’t look like the typical presentation of depluming mites to me. For instance, I don’t see any telltale horizontal bars across the feathers.
But the vet should be able to see mites in the quills if it is depluming mites.
Keep us posted!

 

[BantyChooks]

I honestly think that looks like natural wear incurred due to poor feather quality. I have had a few birds that looked like that no matter what I did. I took them out of the breeding population so I didn't have issues with it in future generations. It isn't a health issue... just aesthetic.

 

[Folly's place]

Me too. Feather quality can vary, and it does matter.
Mary

 

[Wyorp Rock]

See what the vet has to say and let us know.
I do see broken feathers, but you have no mention that she picks at herself - my understanding is birds with Depluming mites will be constantly picking at themselves and the feathers will be stripped - yours look broken with dirt.

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Will do.

I honestly think that looks like natural wear incurred due to poor feather quality. I have had a few birds that looked like that no matter what I did. I took them out of the breeding population so I didn't have issues with it in future generations. It isn't a health issue... just aesthetic.

Oh that's interesting! This would explain why it doesn't seem to get better with the various treatments. Did you notice if your birds who had this issue had pieces of "chewed" up quill under them in the morning? When I clean off their droppings board in the morning I see that there is what looks like ground up or chewed up quill and feather follicle on it where Floki was sleeping...