Wing feathers peeling?

[chix4lyfe]

Hi! I have a bantam Cochin frizzle who has some strange things on her wings. The main part kind of like the stem of her wing is there the the feathers and soft part is gone. We don't know why this could be happening here are some pictures. Also, she is acting totally fine.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I had that happen to mine in early spring. The root cause in my case was little red mites. I treated all the hens I could nab with Permethrin and their roosting area(heavily) with it as well and it all stopped. But that wing image takes me back to there. If you do try that read the instructions carefully as they give you 20 different ways to mix and use it for differing purposes.

 

[coach723]

Definitely check for mites.
How old is she and do you know the parent stock?
Frizzles can have feather problems and brittle feathers if they have two copies of the frizzle gene.
Some can look truly awful, some not so bad.
https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/h...n-Poultry-Why-isn-t-my-frizzle-chick-frizzle-

 

[chix4lyfe]

I had that happen to mine in early spring. The root cause in my case was little red mites. I treated all the hens I could nab with Permethrin and their roosting area(heavily) with it as well and it all stopped. But that wing image takes me back to there. If you do try that read the instructions carefully as they give you 20 different ways to mix and use it for differing purposes.

We have never had chickens before so this is all new to me. Would you be able to see the mites because we clean our bedding very often an I have never seen bugs. This hasn't happened to any other chickens as well. Should I treat them soon or wait and be sure that there are/ aren't mites? Thanks!

 

[chix4lyfe]

Definitely check for mites.
How old is she and do you know the parent stock?
Frizzles can have feather problems and brittle feathers if they have two copies of the frizzle gene.
Some can look truly awful, some not so bad.
https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/h...n-Poultry-Why-isn-t-my-frizzle-chick-frizzle-

how do you cheack for mites? are they easy to see and where do they live?

 

[coach723]

This should help, lots of pictures. Some mites live in the coop and come out after dark, so important to check once they've gone to roost with a flashlight or strong lantern.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[AllenK RGV]

The mites we had were all over us the moment we entered the coop or handled a chicken. They were about 1x1 millimeter and red. I only know that that is exactly the damage they did to my chicken wings. I will not claim that is your issue but it does mimic mine.

 

[chix4lyfe]

The mites we had were all over us the moment we entered the coop or handled a chicken. They were about 1x1 millimeter and red. I only know that that is exactly the damage they did to my chicken wings. I will not claim that is your issue but it does mimic mine.

I checked her vent for mites crawling around because that is where I read you would see them. I also checked some others and they were good too. We clean the coop often and have never seem any bugs.

 

[coach723]

Checking for mites is always recommended when there is a feather issue, but there are other things that can cause it. Since she is a frizzle, there is a fairly high probability it is her genetics, particularly if you can't find any signs of mites on her, flock mates or in the coop. You can also try putting some sticky tape, sticky side up on the ends of roosts to see if you catch anything over night, if there are mites they would get stuck in the tape.
Here is another link, good info on frizzles and issues they may have, there is a picture with flight feathers with the same issue as yours:

https://feathers-scales-and-tails.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F189888273359

 

[chix4lyfe]

Checking for mites is always recommended when there is a feather issue, but there are other things that can cause it. Since she is a frizzle, there is a fairly high probability it is her genetics, particularly if you can't find any signs of mites on her, flock mates or in the coop. You can also try putting some sticky tape, sticky side up on the ends of roosts to see if you catch anything over night, if there are mites they would get stuck in the tape.
Here is another link, good info on frizzles and issues they may have, there is a picture with flight feathers with the same issue as yours:

https://feathers-scales-and-tails.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F189888273359

thanks so much this was very helpful