Treating Depluming mites under quarantine

[cmom]

I'm curious how things turned out. I have already posted this that in my opinion best product to get rid of them is permethrin which is very cost effective. I had a severe infestation last year and the birds were loosing a lot of feathers which I thought was due to molting but upon closer inspection discovered the mites. I treated the coop weekly for awhile with permethrin because it does not kill the mite eggs. Permethrin works and there is no egg withdrawal. Initially I sprayed the birds too. If you have a TSC you can get the dust, premixed spray and the concentrate. I also use the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and spray inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. I buy the concentrate but I have a lot of coops so I mix it in a gallon sprayer and the wand helps me to reach the hard to reach areas. For smaller places the premixed spray is good. Since it appears you have a severe infestation I would use the spray and mix it a little on the heavy side. That is what I did. I mixed a couple of ounces to a gallon in a gallon sprayer. Weekly spraying is a must. It took awhile for the birds feathers to come back in, but they are beautiful again. If do use the dust or spray, wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. Good luck...

 

[Maine_chic]

How did the story end @Maine_chic ?

Hi fellow Mainer Thank you for inquiring! I will have to let you know how it turns out when the story ends.....
My chickens seem to have "recovered" in terms of not having any NEW feather loss or irritation however, most of them are a MESS. They have had no change as far as re-growing feathers (with a few exceptions) and also level of red skin and irritation has remained the same. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING from a vet visit, to speaking to "experts" at the ME extension, to asking everyone under the sun of all experience levels!!! We did try the Nu Stock (recommended by BYC folks) and it was extremely drying; it exacerbated the problem, if anything, unfortunately. I am wondering if maybe we did get rid of any mite issue with the Ivermectin a few months ago and we wont see any improvement to their appearance until they molt. I am NOT a shallow person....but this is my first flock and these are the absolute ugliest chickens I have EVER seen I really miss my beautiful, fluffy chickens!!! HOWEVER....they DO seem to be all very healthy and happy otherwise so, for that, I am grateful.
Also, I have always suspected bullying/feather plucking and have witnessed a few of my chickens eating feathers (DESPITE adequate protein in their food AND supplements, etc.). These are some pampered chickens (Brewers Yeast, Oregano oil, homemade treats, etc.) so HOW in the world, they could have inadequate nutrition to lead to feather eating, I have not a clue. SO I have been giving them a combo of Feather Fixer food and Chic Crumbles to increase their protein levels. I haven't seen feather eating since. I still often wonder if some of the feather loss is due to bullying...but it JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!! Why? Because they ALL have some degree of feather loss....so wouldn't that make them ALL bullies. Also, the leader of the flock (RIP Buttercup) had feather loss. In addition, some of the feather loss and breakage is/was in places where it HAD to be the chicken doing the damage to itself (ie feather breakage under the wing......that's not going to happen due to bullying!)
Well, sorry for the long post...but I figured it was time for an update. To be totally transparent, I am really bummed out about this because we are educated people who love our animals and have truly tried everything....with absolutely NO CLEAR ANSWERS. Which makes me feel like we haven't grown knowledge at all through this experience. UGH!!
TY for reaching out and if you have any input, I would love to hear it, esp since we live in the same region. Your Brahmas are gorgeous......we only have one, I would LOVE another but dont feel it would be fair to add to our flock until we are "better" at this

 

[Maine_chic]

I'm curious how things turned out. I have already posted this that in my opinion best product to get rid of them is permethrin which is very cost effective. I had a severe infestation last year and the birds were loosing a lot of feathers which I thought was due to molting but upon closer inspection discovered the mites. I treated the coop weekly for awhile with permethrin because it does not kill the mite eggs. Permethrin works and there is no egg withdrawal. Initially I sprayed the birds too. If you have a TSC you can get the dust, premixed spray and the concentrate. I also use the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and spray inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. I buy the concentrate but I have a lot of coops so I mix it in a gallon sprayer and the wand helps me to reach the hard to reach areas. For smaller places the premixed spray is good. Since it appears you have a severe infestation I would use the spray and mix it a little on the heavy side. That is what I did. I mixed a couple of ounces to a gallon in a gallon sprayer. Weekly spraying is a must. It took awhile for the birds feathers to come back in, but they are beautiful again. If do use the dust or spray, wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. Good luck...

Hey there! TY for your post! I just replied to this thread to give you and everyone an update. We checked for mites...I have a background in Veterinary Medicine and Wildlife Biology so I feel confident I would have seen mites or evidence of mites. That said, I know they can be tricky little buggers....so we tried EVERYTHING....including the products you so kindly listed. I did not repeat doing it after the initial few times though. I treated them with permethrin and treated their coop (deep clean, full spray) weekly for about a month. I did this more than once...it had no effect. I guess maybe if we managed to rid them of parasites, they will just grow feathers back in the fall when they molt.
Now that I am writing this though.....here is something to ponder. I have an Americana with NO TAIL (see oics). She has had ZERO improvement. She is (somehow, not sure how!!) a top flock girl. She is the one I have most observed eating feathers, despite my supplementing theor feed with...everything. Is it possible that she is just totally nuts?????? Pulling out and eating her own (and other birds) feathers because she is neurotic, not bc of a nutritional deficiency?!? Of course, I never witness this...and they have a huge outdoor run space...so plenty of space to get away from her.
Anyways, we are just SO confused with this issue AND if I told you all that we have done, you would be too. Also, you would probably laugh your butt off and say START OVER!!!

 

[BrahmaMama207]

Hi fellow Mainer Thank you for inquiring! I will have to let you know how it turns out when the story ends.....
My chickens seem to have "recovered" in terms of not having any NEW feather loss or irritation however, most of them are a MESS. They have had no change as far as re-growing feathers (with a few exceptions) and also level of red skin and irritation has remained the same. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING from a vet visit, to speaking to "experts" at the ME extension, to asking everyone under the sun of all experience levels!!! We did try the Nu Stock (recommended by BYC folks) and it was extremely drying; it exacerbated the problem, if anything, unfortunately. I am wondering if maybe we did get rid of any mite issue with the Ivermectin a few months ago and we wont see any improvement to their appearance until they molt. I am NOT a shallow person....but this is my first flock and these are the absolute ugliest chickens I have EVER seen I really miss my beautiful, fluffy chickens!!! HOWEVER....they DO seem to be all very healthy and happy otherwise so, for that, I am grateful.
Also, I have always suspected bullying/feather plucking and have witnessed a few of my chickens eating feathers (DESPITE adequate protein in their food AND supplements, etc.). These are some pampered chickens (Brewers Yeast, Oregano oil, homemade treats, etc.) so HOW in the world, they could have inadequate nutrition to lead to feather eating, I have not a clue. SO I have been giving them a combo of Feather Fixer food and Chic Crumbles to increase their protein levels. I haven't seen feather eating since. I still often wonder if some of the feather loss is due to bullying...but it JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!! Why? Because they ALL have some degree of feather loss....so wouldn't that make them ALL bullies. Also, the leader of the flock (RIP Buttercup) had feather loss. In addition, some of the feather loss and breakage is/was in places where it HAD to be the chicken doing the damage to itself (ie feather breakage under the wing......that's not going to happen due to bullying!)
Well, sorry for the long post...but I figured it was time for an update. To be totally transparent, I am really bummed out about this because we are educated people who love our animals and have truly tried everything....with absolutely NO CLEAR ANSWERS. Which makes me feel like we haven't grown knowledge at all through this experience. UGH!!
TY for reaching out and if you have any input, I would love to hear it, esp since we live in the same region. Your Brahmas are gorgeous......we only have one, I would LOVE another but dont feel it would be fair to add to our flock until we are "better" at this

Oh, @Maine_chic , I'd be at my wit's end, too! I'm sorry you folks are having such a hard time. It's really relatable. Being a chicken mom, for me, isn't totally different from being a mom to my kid: I really don't know what I'm doing but bring a lot of heart to it and learn along the way.

I'll share that of my 8 brahmas, 5 had a pretty tough winter (the other 3 hadn't hatched yet). They are two years old. One died this spring. Two did a spring molt that started in Feb (Maine in Feb! ) and still haven't grown all their feathers back yet. They're picking at themselves. They're picking at each other. They weren't getting enough protein. Their vents are fully feathered tufflebutts, but their backs and heads are red and look burned where they would have been exposed to the cold. In hindsight, I might have given them saddles. But I didn't know because we don't have a rooster and I didn't know about saddles yet.

Here's what I plan to do next, to help them regrow their feathers:

1. I put Nu-Stock on all exposed areas yesterday, to discourage pecking at one another (pine tastes bad to chx, supposedly). I might try Blu-Kote next.
2. I'm going to dust them and the coop w/Permethrin, in case mites are why Popcorn keeps preening herself like that, why she and Hilda lost feathers to begin with, and why now Ruth is starting to look a little ragged.
3. I'm going to continue extra protein to help regrow feathers
4. I'm going to keep it up with extra efforts to support their immune systems: a couple broken cloves of garlic, drops of oregano oil, and apple cider vinegar in their water.

I love my girls and do my very best for them, though I have to admit that there's been a steep learning curve.

One idea: Maybe a little coconut oil on their angry red parts would help the healing process. Could moisturize and discourage infection.

I'm rooting for you and your flock. You've got this and they're lucky to have a human so dedicated to their wellness.

 

[Maine_chic]

Oh, @Maine_chic , I'd be at my wit's end, too! I'm sorry you folks are having such a hard time. It's really relatable. Being a chicken mom, for me, isn't totally different from being a mom to my kid: I really don't know what I'm doing but bring a lot of heart to it and learn along the way.

I'll share that of my 8 brahmas, 5 had a pretty tough winter (the other 3 hadn't hatched yet). They are two years old. One died this spring. Two did a spring molt that started in Feb (Maine in Feb! ) and still haven't grown all their feathers back yet. They're picking at themselves. They're picking at each other. They weren't getting enough protein. Their vents are fully feathered tufflebutts, but their backs and heads are red and look burned where they would have been exposed to the cold. In hindsight, I might have given them saddles. But I didn't know because we don't have a rooster and I didn't know about saddles yet.

Here's what I plan to do next, to help them regrow their feathers:

1. I put Nu-Stock on all exposed areas yesterday, to discourage pecking at one another (pine tastes bad to chx, supposedly). I might try Blu-Kote next.
2. I'm going to dust them and the coop w/Permethrin, in case mites are why Popcorn keeps preening herself like that, why she and Hilda lost feathers to begin with, and why now Ruth is starting to look a little ragged.
3. I'm going to continue extra protein to help regrow feathers
4. I'm going to keep it up with extra efforts to support their immune systems: a couple broken cloves of garlic, drops of oregano oil, and apple cider vinegar in their water.

I love my girls and do my very best for them, though I have to admit that there's been a steep learning curve.

One idea: Maybe a little coconut oil on their angry red parts would help the healing process. Could moisturize and discourage infection.

I'm rooting for you and your flock. You've got this and they're lucky to have a human so dedicated to their wellness.

THANK YOU so much for your post!!! I'm sorry to hear you're having it rough too!! It IS a steep learning curve, isn't it?!?! When this first began, SOOO many months ago, I put Blue Kote on my girls with the feather loss. This helped a lot because it camouflaged the bare patches and, of course, the other girls were picking at the ones with bare patches. I walked around with purple hands for more days than I care to admit to
I don't know what i would do without Blue Kote...not as a solution, but to prevent any more issues!

We did NOT like the Nu Stock....and boy does it smell AWFUL! I know sulfur is great to heal skin....but we noticed that it caused the girls skin to flake, almost like a peeling sunburn. I hope it works for you! I would try coconut oil, bc I love the stuff, but I worry that, because it tastes good, it may cause issues....? Maybe someone can weigh in on that one?
We use saddles on some of our girls which really helped with the ones with feather loss on their back and rump area. But they arent long enough to help with the feather loss right at the top of the tail, if that makes any sense. I do like the saddles a lot, I ordered a few on Amazon and they fit well. Girls dont mind them either and they have worn them for months!

I think your game plan sounds good!!! I love what you wrote about being a chicken mom and parenting....I can totally relate!!! Sometimes all we can do is try our best, but if we do it with an abundance of love, then it'll all turn out well!!! It can be a frustrating process though! Keep me posted on your progress. Some of the symptoms our girls are exhibiting sound similar, so maybe you can post pics??

 

[BrahmaMama207]

THANK YOU so much for your post!!! I'm sorry to hear you're having it rough too!! It IS a steep learning curve, isn't it?!?! When this first began, SOOO many months ago, I put Blue Kote on my girls with the feather loss. This helped a lot because it camouflaged the bare patches and, of course, the other girls were picking at the ones with bare patches. I walked around with purple hands for more days than I care to admit to
I don't know what i would do without Blue Kote...not as a solution, but to prevent any more issues!

We did NOT like the Nu Stock....and boy does it smell AWFUL! I know sulfur is great to heal skin....but we noticed that it caused the girls skin to flake, almost like a peeling sunburn. I hope it works for you! I would try coconut oil, bc I love the stuff, but I worry that, because it tastes good, it may cause issues....? Maybe someone can weigh in on that one?
We use saddles on some of our girls which really helped with the ones with feather loss on their back and rump area. But they arent long enough to help with the feather loss right at the top of the tail, if that makes any sense. I do like the saddles a lot, I ordered a few on Amazon and they fit well. Girls dont mind them either and they have worn them for months!

I think your game plan sounds good!!! I love what you wrote about being a chicken mom and parenting....I can totally relate!!! Sometimes all we can do is try our best, but if we do it with an abundance of love, then it'll all turn out well!!! It can be a frustrating process though! Keep me posted on your progress. Some of the symptoms our girls are exhibiting sound similar, so maybe you can post pics??

It's pouring like crazy (finally!!) here in Portland. I'll def post some pics, when it's dry enough to run out. <3

 

[cmom]

Hey there! TY for your post! I just replied to this thread to give you and everyone an update. We checked for mites...I have a background in Veterinary Medicine and Wildlife Biology so I feel confident I would have seen mites or evidence of mites. That said, I know they can be tricky little buggers....so we tried EVERYTHING....including the products you so kindly listed. I did not repeat doing it after the initial few times though. I treated them with permethrin and treated their coop (deep clean, full spray) weekly for about a month. I did this more than once...it had no effect. I guess maybe if we managed to rid them of parasites, they will just grow feathers back in the fall when they molt.
Now that I am writing this though.....here is something to ponder. I have an Americana with NO TAIL (see oics). She has had ZERO improvement. She is (somehow, not sure how!!) a top flock girl. She is the one I have most observed eating feathers, despite my supplementing theor feed with...everything. Is it possible that she is just totally nuts?????? Pulling out and eating her own (and other birds) feathers because she is neurotic, not bc of a nutritional deficiency?!? Of course, I never witness this...and they have a huge outdoor run space...so plenty of space to get away from her.
Anyways, we are just SO confused with this issue AND if I told you all that we have done, you would be too. Also, you would probably laugh your butt off and say START OVER!!!

I have had issues off and on last year particularly. It did take awhile for the birds to get their feathers back, but they did. Maybe try something like a flock block for the birds to peck at. Just a thought. I did it and they were more interested in the flock block. I did also spray my birds with blu-kote. Good luck...

 

[keeper 1960]

leave a big box of wood ash out for them. and dust them every few days yourself.have used a large blow torch in the coop to fry the mites.yes you can have a small fire or too.it will kill any bugs in the coop.

 

[BrahmaMama207]

It's pouring like crazy (finally!!) here in Portland. I'll def post some pics, when it's dry enough to run out. <3

Here are the pics of Popcorn and Hilda with their bare neck and backs. They've both been like this since the winter, poor things.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Two did a spring molt that started in Feb (Maine in Feb! ) and still haven't grown all their feathers back yet. They're picking at themselves. They're picking at each other. They weren't getting enough protein. Their vents are fully feathered tufflebutts, but their backs and heads are red and look burned where they would have been exposed to the cold.

I'm going to continue extra protein to help regrow feathers

Here are the pics of Popcorn and Hilda with their bare neck and backs. They've both been like this since the winter, poor things.

And I suspect they will be like that until they molt in the fall. I see broken feathers and the shafts of the feathers still intact in the skin. Those won't be replaced until they molt.

Do you see them still picking at themselves and/or one another or did the diet change correct it?

Just a note here - as mentioned previously in this thread, for treating Depluming Mites (mites that live under the skin, in the feather shaft/quill) are treated with Ivermectin. Permethrin will not treat them since it's not absorbed into the bloodstream like Ivermectin is. Knowing what type of critter (parasite) you are dealing with dictates the type of treatment one needs to use.

Permethrin = effective treatment for poultry lice, common/red mites, northern fowl mites, chiggers and bed bugs.

Ivermectin = treatment of Depluming Mites

Vaseline, Oils, Etc. applied to the legs = treatment of Scaly Leg Mites

Hope that helps