what the heck is wrong with my hens???

[Leah61]

My Barred Rocks have started loosing their feathers, mainly on their lower backs and now thinning on some of their necks. At first I thought my rooster was the cause because I have seen him peck at them in that area, and he is always going after them so I separated him for a while. Unfortunately, it has gotten worse and involving more chickens now. I don't see any mites or lice. Are they hard to spot? Could it be moulting? Noticed one of the hens sneezing a little yesterday, so I started her on Vet Rx. I have the BRs separated from my other 10 hens & 1 rooster for now. But I have no idea how to treat because I don't know what is wrong with them, and I'm getting nervous because it seems to be getting worse. A few seem to be loosing some weight, but they are eating and drinking okay. Any ideas???

 

[fnyfrmooc]

Lice/mites are visible, check vent area (fluffy feathers around anus) under wings, neck feathers and crusty around eyes and ears, and look for bugs and caking at base of feathers. Prob. not moulting, usually starts late fall. Did they moult then? Do you see any new pin feathers? There's also feed for new feather growth, from Purina I believe.

 

[Leah61]

These hens are 12 months old and didn't moult in the fall. I checked all over the hens and didn't see any bugs or eggs. I had a neighbor look at one of the hens and she thinks my rooster is doing it when he mounts them. She gave me a cute little apron to wear which will protect her back. She also recommended putting Blu-Kote on to make sure the other hens don't start pecking at the bald spots. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the problem. I was definitely not looking forward to treating for mites or lice. Although now that I've done some research I will definitely start some preventative measures.

 

[jonalisa]

Lice/mites are visible, check vent area (fluffy feathers around anus) under wings, neck feathers and crusty around eyes and ears, and look for bugs and caking at base of feathers. Prob. not moulting, usually starts late fall. Did they moult then? Do you see any new pin feathers? There's also feed for new feather growth, from Purina I believe.

Yes I think that's Feather Fixer.

 

[jonalisa]

These hens are 12 months old and didn't moult in the fall. I checked all over the hens and didn't see any bugs or eggs. I had a neighbor look at one of the hens and she thinks my rooster is doing it when he mounts them. She gave me a cute little apron to wear which will protect her back. She also recommended putting Blu-Kote on to make sure the other hens don't start pecking at the bald spots. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the problem. I was definitely not looking forward to treating for mites or lice. Although now that I've done some research I will definitely start some preventative measures.

I used blu-kote on combs of two hens that had been fighting. All the other chickens seemed to try and peck the blu-kote ...