Bare Vents

Having been getting over the flu the last week today was the first day I've been in to see my girls. The first thing I noticed was the bare patches on my Wyandottes around the vent area, go to check my White Rocks (I think anyway) and sure enough they are bare too. Going over them, that's the only place they've lost feathers, except while going over them I'm not seeing any parasite of any kind.

I plan on going out and inspecting a couple of them tonight (which they will not be too pleased about) but obviously it's something. Mites or lice or .... My weekly trip into town is tomorrow, I'm just wondering what the best possible solutions are and if I can find it/them at the local co-op or at another place near by.

You should be able to get dusting powder at most feed stores.

I use a double whammy of Eprinex & Frontline, seasonally, to keep my birds clean of internal and external parasites. I also do any new birds before I add them to my existing flock.

The first trio I got was infested and full of worms, but I got them cleaned up with the Eprinex/Frontline combo, and I have not had any problems since. I keep these two products on hand at all times, along with dusting powder, but I haven't had to use the dusting powder yet.

I believe that I am having success from adding 2 - 3 large cups of sulfur/DE/woodash in dustbaths that have sand as the main base of the bath. I also put some DE in their nests and possibly that helps a lot also. I checked only one butt so far for lice on a chook that I know had lice (not mites) and she is clear now. She had little blood blisters there a couple of weeks ago along with the lice. Think the blood blisters were from trying to get rid of them herself using her beak. I am pleased but need to check more butts to be totally sure. I am fully prepared to go get a heavy gun (frontline) to deal with them if this is not successful but I'm hopeful. It is -30 out there today, going to leave them alone until it warms up. I would not be good out there in Alberta where it gets much colder! we don't have any wind at our place right now so that is something. Anyway, cold aside, I don't want to put anyone off using the other more orthodox methods but thought I'd mention this because it could be a winning method. Only thing is, I think I smell like sulfur! not rotten eggs exactly, but definitely a sulfur smell. I have not detected that the eggs have changed in taste. I wondered about this because they are porous.

Authentic, do you know if I can get both the Eprinex & Frontline from the Co-op?

I`ll probably pick up the DE and Woodash too, maybe cover a few more bases.

Thanks Ladies!

KimberyK I think the frontline is something you have to get from the States. I live near the border so can pick it up easily when I go over (gas is so much cheaper!) but if you aren't near the border you can get from ebay maybe? do a search on here for frontline, it will bring up threads that talk about where to get it. Can't say about eprinex, I was only going to use frontline.

I ordered the Eprinex in through my vet - got it overnight. The frontline I buy off ebay, amazon or from Jeffers.

You can get ivomec/eprinex from UFA. I ordered mine off line but have seen at UFA.