Keeping a close eye on your chickens will help you quickly spot any issues that may be developing within your flock. A change in behavior can mean that there is something wrong with your bird.
If you’re not sure whether your bird is itchy or is simply preening this article will help you figure it out.
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Chicken preening or itching:
Preening is a part of normal chicken behavior, on the other hand, itching usually means that there is something wrong with the bird, this is how to tell the difference:
Itching:
Check for mites
Chickens will scratch themselves if they’re suffering from a mite or lice infestation. This may be what’s happening with your bird.
You can figure out if your bird does in fact have lice or mites by thoroughly checking to see if there are any mites or lice on the bird’s body.
If your bird does have a parasite infestation then you’ll find parasite eggs on the bird’s feather shaft and on the bird’s eggs after dark, you may also find scabs at the bird’s vent.
The mites and lice will look like small black, grey, dark brown, yellow, or red spots on the chicken’s skin and feathers
Other signs of a parasite infestation affecting your chickens include weight loss, a change in appetite, reddened skin, decreased egg laying, scabs on the bird’s body, a pale comb, listlessness, and feather pulling.
If you do find parasites on the bird’s body you can get rid of them using diatomaceous earth or pyrethrum dust.
Take note of the season:
If your chickens are going through a molt then the birds may start to scratch themselves because of the molt.
Molting isn’t the most comfortable experience for birds. Molting causes old feathers to fall out, the old feathers are replaced with new feathers.
When new feathers start to grow in they are called pin feathers, these feathers can bleed and are thus protected by a protein sheath.
When the new feathers grow in they can be itchy. A molting bird will usually break up the feather sheath as it stretches itself.
Preening:
Take note of the weather:
If your bird starts to go through its feathers after a downpour of rain then the bird is likely preening itself.
There is an oil gland at the base of the chicken tail, birds pinch this gland before preening, and they then preen their feathers using this oil.
The birds preen to get the oily layer all along and to the top of the feathers after being rained on and once the sun comes out. Spreading this oil keeps the bird’s feathers waterproof and in good and shiny condition.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other chicken related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Chicken Is Spinning In Circles, Sick Chicken Head Twitching, Chicken Hanging Head Down, How To Tell If A Chicken Has Internal Bleeding, Lime Vs Diatomaceous Earth For Chickens,