Stumped on Feather Loss/Damage. I've Tried Everything I Can Think Of. Help Needed.

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Hello,
I have a flock of 11 hens and 1 rooster. Approximately early this spring, I noticed some feather loss on the throat area on our 2 New Hampshire Reds. I didn't think anything of it, and figured it was just molting. A few months go by and it starts to spread to the back of the neck and the rest of the head. Just FYI, we did not have our rooster until 2 months ago, so the onset pre-dates that.

Oddly, the other birds don't have this issue. I'm thinking mites or lice because we do have wild quail invade the coop to raid their feed, but why isn't it spreading to the other birds? So, I'm not sure what this is or what do to, so I do nothing. Summer goes by, still not spreading to other birds, so I just shrug it off.

Just last month, it spread to another bird. Exact same presentation. Throat area loses feathers, skin looks very red and irritated, and it appears the feather is being eaten from top to bottom. Okay, must be lice/mites so I get some Spanosid 5% solution and dilute down to 1%.

My wife and I treat the entire flock spraying under wings, vent (which looks fine btw), and of course head and neck. I tear the coop down (it's an old horse stall so it's very large), get rid of all hay and pine shavings, shop vac the area, and treat everything. I mean everything...egg box, roosting poles, walls, floors, etc. with the spanosid solution. Pain in the arse, but I figure, okay we are good to go.

Nope..

Weeks and then a couple of months go by and it is spreading through the flock, albeit slowly. Same presentation, throat loses feathers, skin red and irritated, spreads to the rest of head. It looks like I'm raising turkey vultures
I re-treated with spanosid. I also tried Vet Rx (just rub on), and an anti fungal. I thought maybe some responded and started to get fuzz in the bare areas, but then it reverts. About half the flock has it now.

I have looked with a magnifying glass at their skin and feathers. I do not see any critters, nits, or anything else that would indicate mice or lice. Very odd.

Here are a couple of pics for the worse cases.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is probably feather picking. Birds will “groom“ each other while hanging out on the roost or outside. There are new feathers growing in on the black chicken. I would not worry too much about it, but make sure they are getting a balanced chicken feed with a 16-20% protein, are not overcrowded, and get outside to roam around. Those are things that might lead to feather picking. Feather picking can become a bad habit. There are a few creams and ointments available to help prevent picking. Nustock, pine tar, or Bag Balm are some things to try.

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

It is probably feather picking. Birds will “groom“ each other while hanging out on the roost or outside. There are new feathers growing in on the black chicken. I would not worry too much about it, but make sure they are getting a balanced chicken feed with a 16-20% protein, are not overcrowded, and get outside to roam around. Those are things that might lead to feather picking. Feather picking can become a bad habit. There are a few creams and ointments available to help prevent picking. Nustock, pine tar, or Bag Balm are some things to try.

Hi, thanks for chiming in. Okay, well they do seem okay. I feed them an organic layer feed from a local farm that has a good reputation. I think it's about 16% protein. We also give them plenty of black soldier fly larvae to supplement. They have tons of room in coop area and they roam and forage a 1/3 acre pasture with an auto door to give them plenty of outside time. They are definitely living large.

The only thing that is odd is the redness of the area. Is that common with this feather picking?
Thank you,

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, the redness is common. You have looked for mites and lice, and some may come out at night (northern fowl mites,) so look at night too. What is the bedding?

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Yes, the redness is common. You have looked for mites and lice, and some may come out at night (northern fowl mites,) so look at night too. What is the bedding?

We use pine shavings as bedding. Thanks again.

 

[ChickenDuckLover]

Are the pine shav

Yes, the redness is common. You have looked for mites and lice, and some may come out at night (northern fowl mites,) so look at night too. What is the bedding?

What kind of bedding is good for the birds with potential mites. I have lavender cochins that have lost the feathers on their head. One appears to be moulting now and I caught them pecking at her head. Do they help each other remove feathers during this time? Or is it possibly a mite. My daughter read that there can be a fungus and they peck each other cause it tastes good maybe. She makes things up too, so I don't know. Is there an antifungal like tea tree etc. that is ok for chicken water.

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

All but one bird in my flock now has this "disease". Starts at the neck, spreads to head, and keeps working its way down. Still NO evidence of any lice or mites. I have checked their vents and feet. They appear to be shedding bits of feather quill coverings? Looks like small dandruff.
I can't find a vet in this area that sees chickens or any other birds. Ridiculous.
Does anyone have any other ideas?
I live in a cold area and I'm afraid their exposed heads and necks will lead to hypothermia. They have a good sized coop, but it's not insulated and it gets cold in there (barn with an old horse stall I converted for hens).
Just thought I'd try to see if anyone else has seen this.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are they? They may be molting. Have they molted this year? Can you post more pictures? Any blue feather shafts should be seen if new feathers are growing back in. If they are pecking each other’s feathers out, then you might have to try something like pinless peepers which prevent birds from pecking each other. I have never used those, but you can do a search for more info about them.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good article with a picture of molting and new feathers coming in:
https://www.hobbyfarms.com/some-hard-truths-about-how-chickens-molt/

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Hi, my flock is coming up on 2 years old this February. Yes, they did a normal molt this year. This is not molting. I have watched them outside and they do not appear to be pecking one another. This starts the same way with every bird and is too consistent I think to be anything other than a disease. Starts right below their lobes, goes down the neck, and up the head. Just bare red raw skin with some scabbing in areas. I'll try to send some more pictures when I can get out there and grab a bird or two. It's so cold now that I hesitate to do another spanosid treatment, but another poster said this could be a fungus and I do have some anti-fungal spray I could apply to a couple of birds and see what happens.
Very bizarre.