[peter and jean]

hi all my first time posting a topic on here but am getting worried about daisy the chicken. she has been losing feathers for quite a while now and the few friends of ours who also keep hens all seem to think she is moulting but i am not convinced. she has been losing feathers for about 2/3 months and there is little evidence of any regrowth. while cleaning out the coop yesterday i also noticed some little blood spots on her neck but have not seen any of the other birds pecking at her. she is eating and drinking well but does seem a little placid compared to the others ( we have 2 more all are hybrids.) help is required and any suggestions will be gratefully received. thanks for reading peter and jean

[joyfull]

Hi, check her for lice (look at her feathers around the base and you may see clusters of eggs or even lice there especially around her tail area). Also check the coop for red mites.

[peter and jean]

hi there thanks for your reply. if it was l lice problem would it not affect the others? also i thought red mites and lice were only a problem in the summer months. we have checked her again this morning and put an antiseptic cream on the affected areas. we shall keep an eye on her and no doubt be posting more threads if there is no change. thanks again peter

[joyfull]

This has been such a mild winter that mites and lice are still a problem 

[moomoos42]

Hi Peter.
I'm glad you re-posted as i really am new to this myself!
 Joyfull is great with answers, i'd forgotten about lice! As stated the mild weather really has not helped as i'm still getting cat fleas so lice and red mites will be about.
We have a CCTV camera on our Gals as my husbands in a wheelchair and can't always get out to see his ladies. So we see what goes on in the coop much more than most. i don't think we'd see Sybil pulling feathers as it's only a quick dash in grab a feather and leg it!
but that wouldn't explain her lethargy, were as being eaten by those little vampires would!
Hope to hear how things are going 

[peter and jean]

hi all and thanks for your advice. my plan for today is to totally scrub the coop give it a good dousing with red mite powder and give the ladies a thorough inspection. we have had trhe hens for a couple of years now and are still learning. this has been the first time the mite/lice problem has reared it's ugly head. but if it was mites would the others not be affected also? when we put the antiseptic on her yesterday her feathers were literally just falling out. i feel so sorry for her poor little thing.

[peter and jean]

as i suspected daisy is not moulting but on closer inspection appears to be infested with ticks/lice . given her a first treatment of repellant so hopefully she should be back to her normal self very soon. many thanks peter and jean

[joyfull]

more information can be found in this section 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?board=13.0

[peter and jean]

good morning all. the coop has been scrubbed powdered and the ladies sprayed. they are all now looking confused but will keep you posted as to their progress. i am a little happier now that at least we know what the problem is and are in the process of treating it. thanks again all. peter and jean