Have been keeping an eye on my hens, One seems to be shaking her head quiet a bit. They all at times peck at there rears, and two have started to peck at each other when they are free ranging in the garden.
Have been using red mite powder at the beginning of each month and using poultry shield in the coop when doing a deep clean which again is once a month. No sign of red mite even checked with flashlight over a couple of nights and still no sign.
However yesterday decided to take a good look under the feathers, around the neck and backbone have seen only a couple of very tiny yellow/orange bugs moving around at the base of the feather/skin.
They only seem to be on two of my hens and one has a little bit of mattered feathers, and there looks like dry skin were her wings meets her body. She is also the one who has been shaking her head the most.
Looked today and they are still there even after a good going over with red mite powder two days ago, and this is in direct daylight. Have read that if they were red mites they would only be on the birds at night?
So have gone down the route that they maybe lice.
So have now used barriers louse powder, will be interested to see if they now go!
Does anybody know what these could be? as could do with the help..
Regards...........
Hi Grazychef
I don't know what the bugs are 🙁 However I have noticed that if I don't clean out the chicken every week they are far more likely to pick up pests. I also use an aviary spray, red mite powder and lice powder. Ours are on wood chips it only takes about 15 mins max to clean out two houses.
I have to admit to never using mite powder but I did used to clean the hen house out once a week and I used a deep layer of sawdust in mine - maybe that helped!
Hi Grazychef, we use Emouchine poudre here in France it's based on vegetable extracts for dusting the chicken house, roost nest boxes etc, can also dust the chickens with it as well. I also made a covered bird bath full of soil and compost that they could bathe in, now just have an area under the cherry tree that is clear soft and sandy, seems to do the same thing for them, spending an hour a day having a bath.
Hope this helps.
Hi Have only just joined the forum and we suffered from feather mite a few months ago, did you get rid of yours? If you look at the hen's vent area you are likely to see grey ball-like clusters at the base of the feather which are lice eggs. The best way to get rid for good is to use Frontline spray for cats and dogs, available from a vet's only. Two sprays near the vent area will banish the lice within 24hrs and keep them off for a few months too. It is expensive but it works. It is not licensed for hens so ask the vet's receptionist to sell it to you for your cat or dog . Lasts for ages. You have probably sorted it out already but it is such a good remedy and prevention it is worth knowing about.
Happy hens! Andrea.
Just bumping this one up to add my bit of advice. If you can get hold of it, give the hens woodash to bathe in - that apparently helps keep the lice at bay and is even cheaper than frontline. I have always put the woodash in the hen run and (touch wood) have never had a problem.
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