Puffed Up Hen With Mites

[Peanuts Peepers]

Hi! I have a 3 and a half year old Plymouth Barred Rock hen. She lives with 5 other hens of various breeds, and one rooster. She started looking a tad sick a little less than week ago, but the temps have recently dropped and all of the chickens have been a bit more sluggish. On Sunday night, she was puffed up in a ball inactive. We took her into the house and warmed her up. She seemed really light, and her keel was very prominent compared to the other chickens. We fed her scrambled eggs and she ate them willingly and seemed to perk up, so we put her back into their coop. The next afternoon, she was very lethargic and had heavy breathing, so we brought her back into the house. Upon closer inspection, she had small tan bugs all in her feathers. A quick search on google said that she was infected with mites. After reading another article, it said we need to thoroughly clean the chickens coop and run. We mucked all of their bedding out, and replaced the sand in their run. We added Diatomaceous Earth to the bedding and the sand in the run. We also lightly powdered the walls and around the coop. All bedding has been burned. Back to the chicken. We washed the hen in diluted flea and tick shampoo for dogs. We carefully washed her and then blow dried until she was fully dry. She did not have any scabs or open wounds. This morning she was a little better, and drank electrolyte water. We [very lightly because too much can cause cancer] powdered her feathers in Diatomacecous Earth. She is currently in our heated garage. She's going to the bathroom well, her vent is nice and pink, and her eyes are bright. Nutri -Drench is coming by 5am tomorrow. Is there anything else I can do to help her?

Another Question: Shes making weird circle movements with her neck after I feed her. Is that normal?

 

[Peanuts Peepers]

@Lacy Duckwing
@azygous
@Wyorp Rock

 

[nuthatched]

Diotomaeceous Earth won't do a single thing, you need to get some permethrine based powder or spray.
Clean out the coop, apply the product and get entirely new bedding and litter.
Dust everyone with the powder.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I'm thinking there's more going on with your girl than some mites. By her being really thin, I would question worms or another internal issue. Where is she in the pecking order? I don't suggest using dog shampoo on a chicken. Dawn dish soap should be just as good. How she's not doing well, I don't suggest bathing her at all until she's more active. DE is useless as the previous poster had said. I actually don't recommend using DE at all, as it can cause respiratory issues. As far as the mites are concerned, it sounds like they're Red Fowl Mites. I don't know how to get rid of them, unfortunately.

On your second question, did she eat her food fast? It could have gotten stuck in her throat. Feel her crop. Her movements is also a sign of a crop problem, and, how thin she is, I would question if her crop is her biggest problem right now.

 

[Eggcessive]

Permethrin dust or spray is good against either mites or lice. Can you use a magnifying glass to see if the bugs have 6 or 8 legs, and if they are long or more oval in shape. Any pictures of them would help. Mites can make a chickens anemic and eventually kill her. Lice would be more of a nuisance, causing itching. Her neck and head motion could be adjusting her crop, or if she does it often,,could be a crop problem. Check her crop first thing in the morning to make sure that it is empty. Let us know if it is not. Look at the pictures here to make sure they are mites:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/