Dirty preening gland

[elmdene]

My 3 chickens have all got really dirty feather shafts in the area around their preen glands. As far as I can see there is nothing crawling around, just black specs/dust around the base of the feathers and the skin around the gland itself, which since they are white/cream chickens, looks pretty horrible. It is only in this area, not around their vents or anywhere else, although Boris, the cockerel, does seem to have lost several feathers from around his neck, maybe unrelated. Also the tail feathers he has lost look yellow on the inside right at the bottom but I'm not sure whether this is normal or signifies infection? They are free ranging and love dust bathing in the flower beds. Could it just be dust/soil sticking to the feathers in this area because they are oily, or could it be some sort of mite? They have had it most of the summer and in all other respects they seem healthy, in fact one has just hatched at least one chick today so I'm a bit worried in case it is something that could be passed on. I have tried dusting them previously with both diatom and louse powder with no effect. Should I try Ivermectin? Should I try bathing them? Or is it normal?

 

[chrismahon]

I'm not a fan of Ivermectin at all Elmdene and have never used it. It does sound like dirt sticking to the oils deposits around the preen gland though. Some chickens produce a lot of oil and some very little, in my experience. Unfortunately light colouring will show up dirt readily.

Boris may just be moulting so look to see if any new ones are coming through before trying any treatment. They lose feathers on the neck in stages, starting at the bottom and working up, if I remember correctly.

 

[valeriebutterley]

Hello elmdene

I don't think a couple of drops of Ivemectin could go amiss.

I have just sent for a bottle myself, and all it seems to do is good.

My white Leghorns are looking a bit dire at the moment, one has never moulted, one is in a sad way, and looks about to expire, and the other is still a very good looking girl, but dirty. They are purebred utilities so should be good for another couple of years at least.

 

[Marigold]

Ivermectin isn't licensed for use on poultry and it's actually illegal to use it except on prescription from a vet. If you do use it, remember that you must not eat the eggs for several weeks. Yes it does work, but I wouldn't apply it without further diagnosis of the problem from the vet. I think you're probably right to suspect some kind of microscopic mite. Could it be Northern Fowl Mite? Could you post some pics of it?
See Poultrykeeper https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/northern-fowl-mite/

 

[rick]

All the mites and lice I have seen (and Northern Fowl Mite apparently) are around the size of a largish sugar grain so, if your anything like me these days, you may need to put your glasses on but they are not microscopic as such (at least not the species that seem to cause problems.) Lice nits (eggs) stick to the feather shafts but all these critters will not like being near an oily preening gland and go to more comfortable and convenient (for them) areas like under the vent, under the wings or around the neck. A dead give-away if you're unsure is that mites/adult lice will try to run away if you prod them!

 

[elmdene]

Thanks for all the feedback. It's all 3 chickens so not an individual problem and my previous ones had the same thing - in fact I have posted about it before. I'm pretty sure there's nothing moving and no egg clusters on the feather shafts. I had wondered about northern fowl mite but it's not around the vent and there is no scabbing either - just what looks like dirt all around the preen gland. Will post a picture but both cameras have just run out of batteries! Also there is probably no point treating them just yet as one has just hatched 2 beautiful little chicks this week so I certainly don't want to put any nasty chemicals on her.