Hi Diane, lots of things cause feather loss, including molt, but if you
think its mites it won't hurt to treat for them. Sometimes you can't see the
mites, but if you hold the bird in your hands for a few minutes you may feel
the mites crawling on your arm, very tiny little buggers. I had them come in
here once on a batch of birds delivered for processing. Best way I know to
get rid of them is to dust the hens with Diatomaceous Earth, and give them a
dust bathing area with it. The mites will live in nests, especially wooden
ones, so clean out all the nests and pressure wash them with a mild bleach
solution. If you have lots of birds you might consider lining your nests
with the synthetic nest liners that look like turf grass. They keep the eggs
cleaner and don't harbor mites as badly as planer shavings or straw/hay
will.
You can find out more information from poultry growers by subscribing to
pasturepoultry@onelist.com you can access that list through www.onelist.com
Good luck
Andy Lee, Good Earth Farm School, Buena Vista, Virginia
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