Squawk Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Hi I suspect my chickens have got depluming mite. They have bald, sore, red patches on the tops of their legs and round their bums. I thought I had a problem with feather pecking but I've treated them a couple of times with anti pecking spray and given them extra protein to help them grow back the feathers. I havent seen them pecking each other though and I think they are probably pulling out their own feathers - they are preening a lot! I bathed them about a month ago using dog shampoo with pyrythrum but that doesnt seem to have made any difference. There are no signs of red mite and I wormed them two weeks ago. Does it sound like depluming mite? If so, will the spray/spot on mite treatments work? Im not keen on using the flowers of sulpher treatment as they hate having a bath and I've read posts on here about it making them sick. I would be grateful for any advice, Im worried about them as their skin looks so sore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 I would try a permethrin based dog shampoo.*not licensed for use on poultry in UK This is what I have been doing, and I have to say that I am seeing a gradual improvement, and my poor Claudia smells heavenly. Here she is before I started the baths. She looks terrible. The sore red skin is looking much better, and there is evidence of new feather growth. I had blamed another hen, whom I had isolated, as she had been a feather pecker in a previous existence, but Claudia's feathers continued to be pecked and broken off, as you can see. I finally observed her doing it to herself and guessed that depluming mite must be the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawk Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 Hi Egluntyne Thank you for the advice. Looks like I need to get the trugs and dog shampoo out again. You will probably be able to hear my girls annoyed shouting! I've been reading all the posts about lice and mites and now Im a bit confused! I know Ivermectin isnt licensed for poultry but it does sound like a good method to make sure they are free of itchy critters. Is Ivermectin effective against depluming mite? Should I bathe them in pyrethrum shampoo and use Ivermectin or would that be too much for the chickens to cope with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 My understanding is that Ivermectin is not particularly effective against depluming mite, and in fact, all my hens have been treated with Eprinex *not licensed for use on poultry in UK, so that would seem right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawk Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 Hi Im uploading photos to the forum for the first time so please bear with me if it doesnt work! Does this look like depluming mite or is it something else? The feathers on her legs and base of her tail are broken off at the end and they have gone fluffy and kind of stick together. Is permethrin based dog shampoo the only thing that will work? How often should I wash them and should I rinse out the shampoo or leave it in? (I rinsed it last time as I followed the instructions for dogs and I was worried they would ingest some when they preen themselves). Thank you for all your help. I just want to make sure Im doing the right thing. Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 I've been washing Claudia every third day, for a week or so. I've also been applying sunblock to the bare skin, because of the recent weather. I must have read a thousand and one articles on depluming mite recently, and the suggestions all seem to be the dog shampoo, a mild soap bath, with the Flowers of Sulphur added, or a layer of vaseline, sudocrem or even vegetable oil. I don't rinse the shampoo off, but I only apply a very weak solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawk Posted May 26, 2010 Author Share Posted May 26, 2010 washing every three days ... they are going to love me Thank you for the advice, Its reassuring to hear that you have seen improvement with Claudia. I've been reading lots of articles about depluming mite too. Unfortunately a few of them say there is no cure and that the bird should be culled. I think that is a bit extreme as apart from the sore skin they seem to be behaving normally. I will try bathing with the dog shampoo and using sudocream or tea tree oil cream to sooth the red patches. I hope Claudia gets better soon Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Davina (Head chuck and big gob - see what we've done there?) has had a baldy bum for months. I don't think she'd agree that she should be culled ( Don't think I'll ask her - just incase she doesn't understand whats involved). She doesn't pluck them out, and the others wouldn't dare touch her botty. All the others are OK, and it does help to identify her from a distance Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawk Posted May 26, 2010 Author Share Posted May 26, 2010 Hi Stacey Im not considering culling any of them! I would only do that if they were sick or in pain, in which case I would take them to a vet. I just meant that all the articles I read about depluming mite must have been aimed at people with commercial flocks who dont see their chickens as pets. I love the name Davina and now you come to mention it I think a few of mine have similar characteristics! Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
