This is a mystery to me!

[cjsgrlsx3]

I know my chickens had lice/mites so I treated with noromectin pour on hoping all would be good after that. I treated the coop and then retreated the chickens 10 days later. I have now noticed I need to give them a wormer. So that was done today. But I can't wrap my head around the fact that my rooster looks horrible along with some of my hens. Check out these photos of my rooster. These are all of the same bird and the two where he looks bad were taken after he was treated.

Can anyone explain why he looks worse?

The first photo is what he looked like about a month ago, the center about two weeks ago, and the third today.

 

[missnu01]

I guess I will save my reply about the issues for after the pictures, but you are saying that you noticed the chickens had lice or mites, so you treated them, and then they looked worse? Is that right?

 

[appps]

It isn't just moult time of year is it? Maybe its just coincidence and they are moulting?

 

[cjsgrlsx3]

Just got the pictures posted. They have gradually gotten worse. I don't think it had anything to do with the treatment. I have a couple hens that look completely normal.

 

[cjsgrlsx3]

I am not sure it is a molt as the feathers actually look broken not just missing.

 

[missnu01]

Looks to me like new feathers coming in...perhaps just get a closer picture of the feathers if you can...I know that's rough, and if you can't I understand that. It does look like molting to me though. Lots of feathers around? it actually looks like a pretty good molt, I don't see any bald spots, so I'd say everything is alright...how old are the chickens in question, because chickens of the same age are likely to hit milestones close together...they will start laying around the same time, they will molt around the same time, so on and so forth. I mean that obviously isn't exact or always true, but if the chicks are of the same breed and hatched at the same time, they will often times hit growth points together.

 

[cjsgrlsx3]

The rooster in question and my hens that are looking bad are all around the same age. I see some signs of some scaly leg mites also. But the noromectin should have taken care of the external parasites. I heard they should take care of the internal but not according to the poop I saw yesterday! How long before the feathers look normal again?

 

[Haveandtohold]

It looks to me like the feathers are just growing in as well. Mites, fleas, worms, any health condition really can be quite stressful on the system and cause them to eat less and lose feathers due to decreased protein in their system. Perhaps all the health problems from before took their toll and now you're just seeing the regrowth stage? Impossible to tell from the photos but if you've had these chickens a while and know their molt cycle it's a possibility.

 

[cjsgrlsx3]

I am not completely sold on the molt idea but right now I am just hoping it is something easy to fix. I just came in from checking on them and found one hen scratching so I am thinking still mites, lice, or something. What is everyone's feeling about probiotics for them since they were just given Wazine?

 

[missnu01]

Different chickens take longer or shorter times to feather in, so I can't tell you how long it will take