long term mite problems on the mend hopefully

[StephieSky]

I'll do the DE then and just keep an eye on Gracie. She's the worst of the two.
Today when I bathed their feet in plain warm water and did the massage to loosen the calcereaous ( I think thats how you spell it ) mite deposits chunks are now rolling off without leaving bloody spots. I just expected what came next would look like a chicken leg.



Liza's feet. A lot of that is dirt :/ I planned to take a picture of them clean before the Vaseline, but she was panting and irate by the time I was done.
Hers are coming off with chicken legs and feet that look normal to me underneath the crusting.


Gracie's feet today after her warm rinse and applying the antibiotic & vaseline.

These are the size of the chunks that are rolling off her feet when I do the warm water massage before applying bacitracin and vaseline today. I think this is a good thing!!
This stuff is so thick and was hard as rock to start with. Even with the vet pulled up a few pieces on her legs she bled. It was super gross. These aren't bleeding at all as the roll off her legs with a little help from a wash cloth.
I'm going to assume the reason her feet and legs are pink and skin like underneath is because they have been encapsulated in mites for so long.

Thank you so much for all your help!! Its disconcerting to realize you have an ill animal in your care and not know what to do for them. Even the vet I took them to rarely sees poultry. He's a parrot, cat & dog vet lol

 

[StephieSky]

Its all Hemlock bark. Not the poisonous blooming hemlock plant, but bark. I like it because its softer than other barks and when I'm working with soil I have amended with bark I don't get all those nasty little sliver bits in my skin. I do so despise fir bark mulch for that very reason! Too many little slivers!

1) I got my DE today. Applied a light dusting to the inside of the kennel in the sand and worked it in. I'll keep the cats out of the kennel somehow. Applied a thin dusting to the bark bed where they both dig and dust themselves.

2.) I have Sevin-5%. I'm going to hold off on applying it as the mites appear to be dead and my hens are healing, albeit painfully slow. I'll apply the sevin if it looks like things have stalled out or are going badly again.

*I changed over the bedding in their kennel to sand. I was afraid the straw might be harboring mites. Not sure how to kill off mites in hollow straw so I just removed it and switched to sand. I still have straw in their nest so I dusted it lightly with Sevin 5% by putting new straw in an old pillow case, adding 1 tsp of Sevin, giving it a good shake and sticking it inside the nest box. The nest box is plastic too.

Plastic is not my favorite thing but I find it invaluable for my hens and their housing.

I was given a plastic coop that fits inside their kennel. The lady who had bought it found out her dog kills chickens the minute her back is turned. Repeatedly.
Last night I pulled out everything wood that mites can hide in and installed the plastic coop. I did pressure wash it, bleach it, pressure wash it again and leave it out to sun bake a good amt of time before putting it in for my hens. I'm so happy with the coop! Its the neatest thing ever :O) Some of my neighbors are so awesome.

I also bought Durvet Ivermectin pour on. Liza pooped a wiggling worm That may be why she doesn't lay eggs except abt once a week. I read if you see worms in the poop they are terribly infested. I need to go get Wazine so I don't traumatize them and then worm them too.

My poor hens. I really had no clue a chicken could be so sick and still seem so happy all the time.

 

[Fox]

Just be sure not to use Ivomec and Wazine at the same time, because that would be overwhelming. I've only ever used the Ivomec, but I've never had them "infested" either. Read this thread as it should be quite helpful to you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/221808/worming-with-wazine

 

[StephieSky]

Just be sure not to use Ivomec and Wazine at the same time, because that would be overwhelming. I've only ever used the Ivomec, but I've never had them "infested" either. Read this thread as it should be quite helpful to you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/221808/worming-with-wazine

Thank you so, so much
I'm reading But I have to get ready to go home now lol I'm at work making innapropriate use of company time rather than sort binder clips and delete emails to "look busy" :X

I won't use the wormers together! I'm thinking since she's pooping worms I've probably got worms everywhere she pooped. I'll use the wazine to get her ready for the ivomec and use the Ivomec not before 4 weeks, and when I'm sure she's strong enough and then twice the following year. I really don't want to poison them but I think my hens are too far gone to take the kinder, gentler route. Nature is indifferent and unsparing. I'll get them healthy and thriving then switch over to an all organic approach for prevention. I'm a big fan of an ounce of prevention. My cats have never had any health issues at all. Not mites, not fleas, not worms, nothing. And I use herbals on them. I just don't know enough about chickens yet. I'm working on it

 

[Pancholoco]

If you want to fix that problem try used motor oil once a week, usually the problem its fixed at the first application all depends on how big is the problem, if it isn't fixed at week 1 try another one, but keep the bird apart from others and in no dusty place(it must be over wire floor or in concrete floor).

I have not tried this method yet but I have a lot of friends who they did it and results are gorgeous.

 

[StephieSky]

If you want to fix that problem try used motor oil once a week, usually the problem its fixed at the first application all depends on how big is the problem, if it isn't fixed at week 1 try another one, but keep the bird apart from others and in no dusty place(it must be over wire floor or in concrete floor).

I have not tried this method yet but I have a lot of friends who they did it and results are gorgeous.

Well, um ... that seems a little drastic. The skin is the largest living organ on a hens body. Covering it entirely in a viscous toxin is probably more than my hens can take right now. They have numerous parasite problems and I have no idea how long they've had them. I'm thinking it was pure luck I happened to be having dinner at the house of a friend of a friend and got on the subject of eating chicken which led to discussing chickens eating chicken & egg. Fate I think I'm kind of between a rock and a hard spot here so I'm going to choose the devil that seems to be the most likely not to smother my hens like giant mites. I'll keep the motor oil in mind though. ... ................ Well, not really
In all honesty, I'd rather be dusted with Sevin and treated with Wazine & Ivomectrin myself rather than dipped in used motor oil!
I just don't see how the hens skin can breathe ? Our skin is so very important to all living things! Wouildn't they smother, just like the mites covered in oil???
I'd never last a minute before I'd be freaking out with remorse and washing my chickens in dawn to remove the oil. Even if it took me days.

 

[dawg53]

Quote: You're using vegetable oil to smother the mites, what's the difference? Motor oil is just as good as any of the other poisons you're going to give her. Yes, wormers are poisons....but consider the damage that the worms are doing internally to your hen. Worms will eventually kill your hen. The chemical poisons are necessary to kill the internal parasites.

 

[Fox]

I think what was meant was just to dip the feet, not the whole bird. So they would not suffocate with it on their feet. I still like the idea of Vaseline better because it sticks. Keeping them on wire isn't a bad idea to make sure they don't get junk in the oily feet/legs and then you would not need to wash. But you'd have to have a place like that and from what I understand, since you're just starting you don't.

You are at a point with these chickens where natural remedies may not work quickly enough, so I do think it's wise to go on with the wormer. I have used it myself... I'm sure I've been dosed more than once... at least I know I'm worm free. Wear gloves if you want to be sure not to get any on you. I just have small hands and find it hard to find gloves that fit well enough so I usually don't bother.

 

[StephieSky]

If you want to fix that problem try used motor oil once a week, usually the problem its fixed at the first application all depends on how big is the problem, if it isn't fixed at week 1 try another one, but keep the bird apart from others and in no dusty place(it must be over wire floor or in concrete floor).

I have not tried this method yet but I have a lot of friends who they did it and results are gorgeous.

OOOOOOh! I get it now. Not the whole chicken. Just the feet and legs. I'm so embarrassed.
I'm sure I read someplace on here in my wanderings from thread to thread that back in the day they dipped the whole chicken in used motor oil!! I've been reading so much I'm getting more confused. I have all this information swarming in my head trying to make sense. Sorry The used motor oil doesn't sound so horrid now

You're using vegetable oil to smother the mites, what's the difference? Motor oil is just as good as any of the other poisons you're going to give her. Yes, wormers are poisons....but consider the damage that the worms are doing internally to your hen. Worms will eventually kill your hen. The chemical poisons are necessary to kill the internal parasites.

Yes. Six of one and half dozen of the other. I am considering the damage. This is why I'm not even blinking at going for anything that is known to work. I would like to wean myself onto a prevention program with my hens over time and in good time. I know almost nothing about birds but I imagine there are plenty of things that I can provide or do to give them the best possible chances of not ending up like this twice in their lives. I have a lot to learn.

I think what was meant was just to dip the feet, not the whole bird. So they would not suffocate with it on their feet. I still like the idea of Vaseline better because it sticks. Keeping them on wire isn't a bad idea to make sure they don't get junk in the oily feet/legs and then you would not need to wash. But you'd have to have a place like that and from what I understand, since you're just starting you don't. You are at a point with these chickens where natural remedies may not work quickly enough, so I do think it's wise to go on with the wormer. I have used it myself... I'm sure I've been dosed more than once... at least I know I'm worm free. Wear gloves if you want to be sure not to get any on you. I just have small hands and find it hard to find gloves that fit well enough so I usually don't bother.

Thank you again I feel kind of, um, dopey now lol I read that and just assumed it was my whole hen! I was like.. um, no way!
I like the Vaseline too. Yes, I think perhaps they're much sicker than they are displaying. It seems to me that when an animals immune system is compromised ...they have multiple infestations of disease and parasites. I'm seeing multiples here. Not a good sign and I want to treat them now, while Gracie & Liza still act happy and clearly have the strength to eat, drink and forage normally. The strength to endure the cure.

Ironically, I'm not afraid of the chemicals for myself LOL I actually caught myself thinking " Hmm... maybe I should worm myself since I washed her feet legs and butt a bunch of times .... "


Thank you all so much for your advice and help

 

[Pancholoco]

Well, um ... that seems a little drastic. The skin is the largest living organ on a hens body. Covering it entirely in a viscous toxin is probably more than my hens can take right now. They have numerous parasite problems and I have no idea how long they've had them. I'm thinking it was pure luck I happened to be having dinner at the house of a friend of a friend and got on the subject of eating chicken which led to discussing chickens eating chicken & egg. Fate I think I'm kind of between a rock and a hard spot here so I'm going to choose the devil that seems to be the most likely not to smother my hens like giant mites. I'll keep the motor oil in mind though. ... ................ Well, not really
In all honesty, I'd rather be dusted with Sevin and treated with Wazine & Ivomectrin myself rather than dipped in used motor oil!
I just don't see how the hens skin can breathe ? Our skin is so very important to all living things! Wouildn't they smother, just like the mites covered in oil???
I'd never last a minute before I'd be freaking out with remorse and washing my chickens in dawn to remove the oil. Even if it took me days.

I was sugaring to just cover her feet with motor oil not the entire bird. Sorry but I don't write as I would want.