Soggy run

[lloyd]

Ok so Maciss has these odd looking black marks under her skin on the comb and wattles. I have also noticed that both Mavis and Flossie are preening their down feathers on their behinds alot more than normal. I did a full clean last night with total mite kill (pink liquid spray) of the eglu, and doused loads of diatom in the egg box, but I can ever see anything on them. What am I looking for and would I be better off going to a vet to diagnose the problem? I am registered with Silva in Midsomer Norton near Bath.

Also can you use the pink spray on the girls or just the eglu? So far I have not sprayed them with it. If I can though is there a time period I can't eat the eggs for?

 

Thanks Lloyd.

[Sue]

I suppose you could try picking the worst affected one up and holding it in the crook of your arm for 10 mins or so. Make sure you have on old clothes that need to go into the wash and do it pre bathtime just in case. If you have no itchiness after holding them I think you could be pretty certain they are reasonably mite free.

 

Just a suggestion

[The Dogmother]

Pictures of what to look for here

 

Extra preening can mean that they have lice or mites, but it can also be a sign that they are moulting. A couple of my mob have recently started an early moult and are sitting around preening out the old feathers at the moment.

[gongladosh]

I think hens can also preen obsessively when they're not happy (though this may not be the case with yours!!) - when one of my hens developed Peritonitis (from which she died), the other one preened constantly until the death of the ill hen. She stopped doing it after that.