[dyedinthewool]

Hi,

My hennys have 'something' ?? covering their shafts of their feathers mostly around and down under their back ends, some have 'it' around their tail feathers and back. Not just at the base of the feather.

It's quite thick and 'brown' on my one white hen there were little brown flecks - pinhead size- like mite eggs?? These have disappeared now as I've dusted them all with 'farmyard loose powder'.

Their combs are quite red and they are still eating  seem quite happy and laying, but I don't seem to be able to get rid of 'what ever it is'.  i clean out everyday including their nest boxes - I've limed the base of the nest boxes and dusted bedding straw with the powder, dusted their shaving floor.  Dust limed their floor and perches.

One other problem - the little white henny has what must be sour crop - I've isolated her  -starved her for 24 hrs, crop went down but not normal - gave her a little to eat as she seemed distress.  plenty of fresh water/grit etc.

Thought i'd got her okay crop down and poos normal - put her back with the others and she got it again.  Am i feeding wrong - what causes it in the first place.  Stopped feeding bread titbits as thought this may be the problem. But obviously it's not as she got it again.

I feed whole grains (barley, wheat, cut maize) mixed with small amount of codliver oil, and a sprinkle of garlic.

They are penned in grass pen while I'm out but otherwise freerange the paddocks etc.

Sorry two questions -hopefully someone can advise 1) what the 'something' is and what to do about it.
And 2) what can i do with the henny that gets repeated sour crops...

[in the hills]

Does the something look like grains of sugar set hard at the base of the feathers, particularly around the vent? Can be a thick, crusty covering.

[dyedinthewool]

Round the vent YES -  rest of the feathers 3/4 up the shaft this browny dryish covering (should have taken a pic)

It seems to mainly be the Orpingtons and  happens once the cockeral starts treading them.

[in the hills]

Not sure about the thick and brown description  . If it is like crusty sugar granules and mainly around the vent then I would say that it is lice eggs. We had them and tried various powders and diatomous earth but in the end asked the vet. He gave us a chemical called Deosect. I dont think it is licensed for use on poultry. Got rid of them straight away. You should be able to see the lice if you part the feathers around the vent ..... small browny orange and fast moving.

[dyedinthewool]

Hi,
In the Hills,

No not seen anything like that.  Only white henny was crusty but not like sugar crystals.  I had used terymicyn spray on her until i got the Louse powder which dried up the yucky brown stuff - she had a blue bum for some time - but it all came back.  Then I checked the others (Orpingtons) and they had it so has the cockeral, the brown stuff I mean not the crusty.  Will have a better look in the morning see if i can manage to take a picture.

They do sometimes get 'mucky bums' (again mostly the orpingtons...!) from poo which I usually snip the feathers off round the vent area to keep that clean but so far they have stayed clean from poo...!!  they do get on the dung heap and have a scratch about picking up the insects that inhabit dung heaps...

[PetiteGalette]

I bought in some chickens for the first time last year that I quarantined (as usual) and I found they had both lice and cocciodosis.
I bought some Harkamectin from an ebay seller who posts to France and used that. It's for pigeons but is easy to use (comes in a dropper bottle), no fumey smell and cleaned the birds with the treatment.
(For the Cocci I  bought Coxoid from the same seller)
Needless to say, I now stick to hatching my own birds..............................................

[chrismahon]

Sounds lice lice eggs which are stuck around the base of the feathers Dyedinthewool. I've seen a crusty brown scabby deposit on the skin as well and that is a by-product of lice activity irritating areas.

Repeated sour crop could be a fungal infection. Needs Flagyl or Nystan -there are two different fungal strains. The common one responds to Flagyl. Check in her mouth for fungal cankers, white growths. Can be a very long treatment and Claude (avatar) has been on Flagyl over a month now.

[dyedinthewool]

Hi,

Have you ever tried taking a picture of a henny's bum with the hen in one hand and the camera in the other

So I cut the feathers of and photo'd them - they have been louse dusted so are whiter/greyer than they were before being dusted.

I'm itching just handlw both the feathers and the henny.  I feel sorry for them though I think they are responding to the dusting.
 
I thought 'lice eggs' stuck in a furry ring around the base of the shaft of the feather - they haven't got that.

PetiteGalette - I did aquire some 'new' hens from a little girl whose parents bought them for her and then decided that they trashed the garden so I took them in at Christmas - but isolated them for 3 weeks and they all (new and my hens) had a 'drop on' kill everything when they arrived.

chris - I'll check her tomorrow - do I get the Flagyl/Nystan from the vet?

[in the hills]

No, my lice eggs didnt look like that. They were more at the base of the feathers, in distinct tight clumps.

Sorry, I havent seen anything like that. Hope someone can help.

[kegs]

I'm not sure but could it be the same as the "mite debris" mentioned in this article which is found further up the feather?

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/biology/2011040913000022.html

[chrismahon]

Not seen anything like that before Dyedinthewool. Does it wash out? Is it poo covered in soil?

Flagyl and Nystan from vet. Flagyl is fairly cheap. An Orpington dose of Nystan is expensive and if Flagyl doesn't do it? Have you seen cankers down her throat then?

[dyedinthewool]

I think so... she had some white 'marks' - very difficult to get her beak open but her breath smelt...so am presuming it is sour crop.  I will ring vet first thing to get either the Flagyl or Nystan which ever is the best to use.

I have now had time to do some research on the net and I think it is a BAD CASE of mite infection so have ordered Smite concentrate hopefully it should arrived mid week. As Kegs says the 'brown stuff' is the mites poo...Uugg

I do creosote (proper stuff) the sheds every year - one stays as a spare to put the hens in while the other one dryouts and the creosote vapours dissipates - currently being used as a temp home for piglets - this will get creosoted when they move into their new home.  I though creosoting should have killed off any red mite etc. The shed is insulated and lined with big sheets of ply, it has a Unduline roof.

We do get a lot of Jackdaws/crows/little birds coming into the pen to pinch the chickens food - sometimes more birds than hens....

Thanks to all that have responded to my dilemma.

[chrismahon]

You will find creosote diluted with paraffin 50% easier to apply , just as effective and faster drying Dyedinthewool.

Two weeks to test the fungal type I was quoted so we went for Flagyl being the most common. White blobs or growths is best way to describe it. They darken as treatment takes effect. But you will need a large amount initially to kill the fungus in the crop. Vet should explain all. The smell is worse than standard sour crop in our experience.

[plt102]

Try a liberal dusting of birds and coop with diatom earth once you have the infestation more iunder control. It will kill any left over mites and if you keep using it will stop them coming back. Its safe for the birds and mnot chemically so I prefer it to creosote and sprays etc

[dyedinthewool]

Took henny to vet as she wouldn't prescribe without seeing the hen - she said it was 'pendulous crop' - the crop muscles have(possible) stretched and so the food wasn't being digested properly.
She gave me two tablets of Ketoconazole that i have to crush and mix with a drop of water and give a 1/4 of a tablet each day. I had to 'starve' her for 2 days and then give a small amount of food several times a day so not to tax the crop.  Vets prognosis was not good though due to the crop stretching.

Henny seems okay in herself, laid two eggs...! - other than she is hungry, giving her mealworms/eggyolk/sardines/chick crumbs not all at the same time...just to vary the diet - making sure she has grit as well.

Time will tell....