weird molt can you help??

[crazy pigeon boy]

2 of my hens have a weird molt some people say it could be mites i have treated with one spot 4 times and it had done nothing the thing is i think that it could maybe be genetic because the only to birds in the loft with this problem are mother and daughter the mother is a 2001 bird and got yhis molt when she was 2 years old the daughter is a yearling and has only just got the molt this year she was fine as a youngbird here are some pics of them can any one help????

[crazy pigeon boy]

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[crazy pigeon boy]

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[crazy pigeon boy]

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[crazy pigeon boy]

it looks like the feather arnt growing back properley i have no idea what it is i have noticed it gets worst when breeding season so it may be stress related during the summer it gets alot better than this but is still there a little can any one help thanks martin

[Guest]

try rubbing methalated spirits on it

[crazy pigeon boy]

what does the methalated spirits do mate ?

[Guest]

try carbolic soap should kill the mite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[crazy pigeon boy]

im not sure weather it's mites or not i just dont know? :-/ :-/ :-/

[Dave A]

i have a red hen that does this  every year just as she is rearing her first round, she is an 03 bird and bought her for distance and havent been able to race her because of her going into full body moult, the feathers grow back straight away but takes too long to be able to race her so i think she is going to have to go this year as she has bred nothing special either

The only answer i can find is that it is a genetical thing and when under a lot of stress the feathers fall out nothing to do with mites or lice as she is the only bird i have that has been affected by it

[Guest REDFOXKRAUTHS]

could be like pigeon alapeshia

[Guest CS]

Strange moulting, is there any redmites in your lofts?

[jimmy white]

depluming mite ,,,, old remedies that work ,, meth, spirit , carbolic soap, , but need dabbed a few times per week , feathers will take some time to grow in ,,as the" root" of the feather is usually still in, but sure the vet would give you something more modern , as the fifer says the old garlic in the bath would do no harm

[THE FIFER]

if its during the breeding season could be them rubbing on the nest bowl, are ur bowls ok, not chipped or anything, i used to get that around the front of the neck when i had a deep drinker, the flesh looks kleen enough so could be something to do with rubbing.

[Guest shadow]

go to chemist and ask for malthion it is used for treating scabies if it is depluming mite they will be gone in no time

[Guest]

Eyes & ears a bit sore as been refreshing my memory.  

 

First picked up on this from the late Frank Harper pigeon vet's video 'respiratory ills & damaged quills'. Two different conditions:

 

1) one mite eating inside the shaft weakens feather & sharp edges break feather off (sharp edges = drinker, feeder etc). Unlike your photos, this damage leaves feather stumps behind, a stubbly skin.

 

2) two different mites on the skin and in follicles, whole feather comes out of the follicle leaving a smooth skin. From your photos reckon yours may be this.

 

Two tests:

(1) Mites are not visible to naked eye. Run piece of sellotape over bare skin area, peel off and put under microscope. You may see mites, they are a round rather than long shape.

 

(2) Pull a couple of feathers from affected area, the quill end should be bare. If it isn't bare and has a waxy blob on the end, then its these mites causing your problem.

 

Frank Harper was an ivomec proponent, but he reckoned that a product for dogs, FRONTLINE, was the most effective for lice & mites on pigeons. Not systemic like ivomec,  it doesn't enter the pigeons body, one drop is enough as it remains on the skin binding to its layers, and also 'creeps' over it. Frank recommended do  the bird around 4 times a year.

 

Wim Peters, p280 also recommends Frontline (for mite no1) he recommends treatment every three weeks for nine months, which shows this mite is pretty difficult to eradicate, Frank Harper reckoned it could only be killed when it left the quill, but didn't know anything about the lifecycle so couldn't say when that was.

[crazy pigeon boy]

thanks for the advice mate will try the frontline as a friend of mine advised this also cheers  

[Guest CS]

Let us  know how your bird doing when your bird recovers...

[sangrealuk]

hi did you worm birds during moult

[crazy pigeon boy]

no not during the molt i have done a test under the microscope and found noting in the effected area but i did notice that the feathers break off right at the base leaving a short stubble left in the birds skin