hens loosing feathers
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Minorcafan
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Have you noticed them pecking feathers off each other?
If you look closely can you see any lice or mites?
See Poultrykeeper website https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/lice-on-chickens-and-poultry/
See Poultrykeeper website https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/lice-on-chickens-and-poultry/
Do their bottoms look red and itchy, and are they a bit messy round their bums? Have you ever wormed them with Flubenvet since you got them? If not, a worm infestation is a possibility, and you should be worming them with Flubenvet anyway now the winter is approaching. Vermex may help as a tonic, but it's not fully effective as a wormer, the only wormer licensed for use on poultry is Flubenvet.
If it is a lice infestation, you can try dusting them with Smite or similar mite powder, which is actually just medicated diatomaceous earth. The most effective treatment is Ivermectin spot on, but this isn't recommended unless you are sure that you know what is actually wrong, because it means you can't eat the eggs for several weeks after applying it. It should only be used on a vets prescription as well, which would mean taking at least one of them to a poultry vet for diagnosis and advice.
If it is a lice infestation, you can try dusting them with Smite or similar mite powder, which is actually just medicated diatomaceous earth. The most effective treatment is Ivermectin spot on, but this isn't recommended unless you are sure that you know what is actually wrong, because it means you can't eat the eggs for several weeks after applying it. It should only be used on a vets prescription as well, which would mean taking at least one of them to a poultry vet for diagnosis and advice.
today ive had a good look at hens cant see anything but ive give every hens a good mite dusting and filled water with apple cider viniger mix and vermx pellets as per instructions also fully cleaned hut out and sprayed smite every where is there anything else to try
rick
Active member
No, I don't think there is, except, if it is worms then only Flubenvet will rule them out. Of course, hens loosing feathers at this time of year is nothing unusual but they should also be showing signs of pin feathers coming through sooner or later. Its only that it is all of them losing feathers in the same place... sometimes funny things like that happen and the cause can be pretty illusive. Unless you can positively identify some cause then trying too many 'maybe' solutions could do more harm than good - as long as they otherwise seem happy and the basics are covered (i.e. lice and mites are not microscopic, they can be seen - lice in the form of 'nits' on feather shafts and mite not on the hens but not far from perches in cracks or under mats etc. Worming with Flubenvet is the only definite option though Vermex, garlic etc. may keep parasite numbers lower for longer.)
I've just given mine some cider vinegar because one of them seems to have a persistent tummy disorder that I cant quite work out. The acidity should discourage harmful bacteria and encourage the beneficial sort [once this week and maybe again neat week] if that is the cause but she is also moulting along with the pullets (they are not exactly moulting but getting their adult coat and shedding feather sheathes like snow!) Bonnie's poo is also full of feather sheaths and that may be part of whats going on with her.
It gets to be a real puzzle sometimes! Just keep a keen eye out for clues
If it was lice (does have that effect) or mites then it will have been happening for a while in the warmer months and only just become particularly noticeable now in moulting season (maybe.) Be careful with dusts as a remedy - sharp sand and soil in dust baths and occasional, very cautiously applied diatom, etc. should be the only exposure to 'dusts' as a respiratory infection in birds can very quickly make all other worries academic.
I've just given mine some cider vinegar because one of them seems to have a persistent tummy disorder that I cant quite work out. The acidity should discourage harmful bacteria and encourage the beneficial sort [once this week and maybe again neat week] if that is the cause but she is also moulting along with the pullets (they are not exactly moulting but getting their adult coat and shedding feather sheathes like snow!) Bonnie's poo is also full of feather sheaths and that may be part of whats going on with her.
It gets to be a real puzzle sometimes! Just keep a keen eye out for clues
If it was lice (does have that effect) or mites then it will have been happening for a while in the warmer months and only just become particularly noticeable now in moulting season (maybe.) Be careful with dusts as a remedy - sharp sand and soil in dust baths and occasional, very cautiously applied diatom, etc. should be the only exposure to 'dusts' as a respiratory infection in birds can very quickly make all other worries academic.
rick
Active member
You can get Flubenvet in a 1% powder to mix yourself with your preferred pellets or you can buy the pellets pre-medicated.
I used to order 1% powder from BHWT but have also ordered from Animeddirect and that went well too. I like using the powder because, with some milligram scales you can mix quite small amounts but 2kg of pellets with 6g of wormer is the easiest to measure and manage.
You can also get Marriages layers pellets pre-mixed in 10kg (prob 20kg as well) very readily.
A search for 'Flubenvet' gives you all these options in the first few results.
You will need enough to feed your hens on the medicated pellets and nothing else for a week.
After worming they benefit from some pro-biotics (some live yogurt or Avipro) to get their beneficial gut bacteria back in balance.
The best way to mix it with the pellets and get it to stick to them evenly throughout is to start with a quarter of the total, sprinkle on the whole dose of wormer for the quanity, quick stir then splash on a couple of table spoons of vegetable oil and stir thoroughly. Then add the next quarter and stir that well in (maybe another splash of oil). Then add the last half and stir again. That way you have some wormer stuck to every pellet.
Or you could just get the Marriages and save the mixing.
I used to order 1% powder from BHWT but have also ordered from Animeddirect and that went well too. I like using the powder because, with some milligram scales you can mix quite small amounts but 2kg of pellets with 6g of wormer is the easiest to measure and manage.
You can also get Marriages layers pellets pre-mixed in 10kg (prob 20kg as well) very readily.
A search for 'Flubenvet' gives you all these options in the first few results.
You will need enough to feed your hens on the medicated pellets and nothing else for a week.
After worming they benefit from some pro-biotics (some live yogurt or Avipro) to get their beneficial gut bacteria back in balance.
The best way to mix it with the pellets and get it to stick to them evenly throughout is to start with a quarter of the total, sprinkle on the whole dose of wormer for the quanity, quick stir then splash on a couple of table spoons of vegetable oil and stir thoroughly. Then add the next quarter and stir that well in (maybe another splash of oil). Then add the last half and stir again. That way you have some wormer stuck to every pellet.
Or you could just get the Marriages and save the mixing.
It depends on whether you want pre-medicated pellets, which you feed to them instead of their ordinary ones for 7 days, or whether you want flubenvet powder, which you add to their normal pellets before feeding for 7 days. Both have advantages and disadvantages - the premix is easy to use straight from the bag, but you're unlikely to use exactly the amount you buy, and any spare will be out of date six months later when they need doing again. The powder is easy to mix, just weigh out 1 kilo of pellets per hen and add the powder- it comes with a scoop so its easy to work out what is needed,( 2 scoops to 6 kilos of pellets.) You can mix the right amount for your number of hens with no waste, and the powder can be safely stored with a longer shelf date than the premix pellets. A pot does 20 doses, so if you had 10 hens it would do two treatments. You have to feed ONLY PELLETS for the 7 days, no treats, so each hen eats the right amount for her bodyweight, and doesn't fill up in extras.
For premixed pellets, Google 'Flubenvet premixed pellets', and for powder, Google 'Flubenvet wormer powder.' Or check on Ebay, prices vary quite a lot. Then work out what's cheapest at the moment, remembering to add in postage costs.
For premixed pellets, Google 'Flubenvet premixed pellets', and for powder, Google 'Flubenvet wormer powder.' Or check on Ebay, prices vary quite a lot. Then work out what's cheapest at the moment, remembering to add in postage costs.
Make a shelter, or use an old table, fill in 3 of the sides with plywood and put the feeder underneath so one side is open (facing away from the prevailing wind) and then the hens can feed in the dry.
Or even better, get a roof on the run then it will all stay dry, no mud in winter!
Or even better, get a roof on the run then it will all stay dry, no mud in winter!
What do you hope they will do?
rick
Active member
A smoke bomb (usually sulphur dioxide I think) is unlikely to have much effect for your effort for a couple of reasons. The mite live in small cracks and gaps in the woodwork and/or under surfaces like the gap between a roof and the roofing felt. The smoke is not going to penetrate those places very well. Also the eggs are quite tough against chemical attack and can lie dormant for a very long time. As soon as there are hens to feed on again then the next generation can get going again and reproduce within a week.
So far as sterilising the coop goes there are a few options that have been discussed here recently:
- Set light to the coop and start again with a new one - very effective!
- Toast the coop all over with a blow torch (or better, a hot air gun) - that will work but can easily result in option one if your not careful.
- Use a steam cleaner - domestic steam cleaners are quite affordable these days and will work well if you are thorough. Farms have big ones and routinely blast everything. For sterilisation this has to be the best way.
Basically it is heat that will wipe out red mite. Above 45 degrees C (55 degrees has also been suggested) will kill all the mites and their eggs.
A very common and effective method without sterilising the whole coop is to give them nowhere to live by filling the cracks up and making things very uncomfortable for them so the population eventually dies out. Diatomatious earth slurry painted into the cracks and corners, particularly around the ends of perches (or under perches if they are not supported at the ends) will make life very difficult for mite. Diatom scratches the mites waxy coats so they dry out and die - they hate the stuff.) Creosote is also a popular way to discourage mite (and to seal in/kill mites and eggs in the cracks) but the coop must be aired and thoroughly dried over several weeks before it is safe for hens to use again.
... Diatom is very useful but is a very fine, glass like, powder which can lead to respiratory irritation and infection if puffed around too liberally. Use it cautiously. As a wet slurry it is much safer as it carries into the cracks and tends to dry/set in the corners rather than blowing around in the wind.
So far as sterilising the coop goes there are a few options that have been discussed here recently:
- Set light to the coop and start again with a new one - very effective!
- Toast the coop all over with a blow torch (or better, a hot air gun) - that will work but can easily result in option one if your not careful.
- Use a steam cleaner - domestic steam cleaners are quite affordable these days and will work well if you are thorough. Farms have big ones and routinely blast everything. For sterilisation this has to be the best way.
Basically it is heat that will wipe out red mite. Above 45 degrees C (55 degrees has also been suggested) will kill all the mites and their eggs.
A very common and effective method without sterilising the whole coop is to give them nowhere to live by filling the cracks up and making things very uncomfortable for them so the population eventually dies out. Diatomatious earth slurry painted into the cracks and corners, particularly around the ends of perches (or under perches if they are not supported at the ends) will make life very difficult for mite. Diatom scratches the mites waxy coats so they dry out and die - they hate the stuff.) Creosote is also a popular way to discourage mite (and to seal in/kill mites and eggs in the cracks) but the coop must be aired and thoroughly dried over several weeks before it is safe for hens to use again.
... Diatom is very useful but is a very fine, glass like, powder which can lead to respiratory irritation and infection if puffed around too liberally. Use it cautiously. As a wet slurry it is much safer as it carries into the cracks and tends to dry/set in the corners rather than blowing around in the wind.
Rick has said it all about cleaning up the coop, but you can also use Red Stop, an organic product which you add to the drinking water in a very low concentration. It makes the hens' blood taste nasty to the mites so they don't feed and eventually die of starvation. Whilst the mites are dying the hens are not being bitten by them. Its probably most effective if you also have a good go at cleaning the coop first, to reduce the mites as much as you can, and then it helps to keep things under control. You use it every day for a week, then once a week, and 50ml will last several hens for several months. See Ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/181642665550?chn=ps&dispItem=1&adgroupid=48942490953&rlsatarget=pla-372384706025&abcId=1128946&adtype=pla&merchantid=7186054&poi=&googleloc=1006476&device=c&campaignid=856243387&crdt=0
I haven't used this myself as I haven't needed to, but for prevention and control it sounds good.
I haven't used this myself as I haven't needed to, but for prevention and control it sounds good.
my poor hens still havnt got there bum feathers back i was talking to a guy today and told him the problem he said straight away the hens will be pecking each other as there horny so put a few cock birds in with them to calm them down and keep them inline
