She'd been in a chicken hospital in the warmest room in our house since Saturday in an effort to help her hang on, so the room was ~70degrees Fahrenheit, which is why I don't think her body was cool enough to send for necropsy. You're totally right that if she'd still been outside, with highs in...
Thanks for the condolences, @Eggcessive. I’m not sure I can get an accurate necropsy, since that link says the bird needs to be chilled right after death, and I have no idea how long she’d been gone when I got home. I last saw her alive at about 8am, but didn’t get home until almost 7pm... it’s...
Well, I just got home it discover that Raven died while I was at work. This sucks.
I will still treat the rest of the flock and the coop with the permethrin spray as soon as possible, probably this weekend.
Thank you, all, for your help here identifying the issues.
Thank you so much, @Eggcessive! I came across both those pages in my research today (so much for productivity at work!)... I'm still thinking it's lice.
A supplemental question: Should I pick up something like Nutri-Drench to help Raven regain some of her strength, or will raw egg do that? I...
Well, THAT is terrifying, @Trux! I had to deal with a bedbug infestation when I lived in Los Angeles, so I remember those evil creatures well. I will say that the bugs I've found on Raven do NOT look like the bedbugs I've seen, which were rounder and darker in color compared to the oblong...
Another update: I am all-but-convinced these little jerks are chicken lice, rather than mites or fleas... some genus of chicken body louse (A or B below). See image below with the bug I found on Raven (far left) alongside these images from Amy Murillo at UC Riverside at this helpful page... This...
OK, a quick search of my local feed/supply stores isn't returning any permethrin powder, but I DO see this option for "Martin's Pen & Poultry Chicken & Roost Insecticide Spray." It's a 0.5% permethrin spray that says it can be used in coops or directly on the birds. See the full label details...
That's a great suggestion, @micstrachan. When she was outside with the others, she did dust bathe when they free-roamed (usually on weekends), though I hadn't been keeping a dust bath inside the run, since I tried to do so last spring and it got wet and buggy, and one of my other original hens...
Thank you @BarnhartChickens98. I also found this link, which appears to feature an image that looks exactly like the bugs I found on Raven. Does the treatment outlined here track with your understanding of how this issue should be treated...
Thank you @silkiemother! Is there a special powder for mites, or can I use DE? I do use that in the coop periodically, but I can douse the place with something else if need be.
Apologies in advance for the long post, but my hope is to provide as much detail as possible, and get some suggestions for at-home remedies (or those that can be administered at home) to try and save my favorite bird!
My 1.5-year-old Barred Rock, Raven, has had some runnier-than-normal poops...
I do use the vertical nipple waterer (this one: http://www.farmandhomesupply.com/livestock/chicken-poultry/little-giant-hen-hydrator-hh35.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1d3Ex4G12QIVF6rsCh1uHwR7EAQYAyABEgK2y_D_BwE), with an electric bucket heater inside, though we've been having some rust issues. I may...
Thanks @PirateGirl! The suggestion to build an external nesting box with a chicken access hole is a good one - I hadn't thought of that! I'd be grateful if you'd share what you learn as you build one for your girls. I'm trying to think of some kind of prefab box (with a door for easy egg...
I have a small prefab coop for my backyard flock of four (two adult EEs, a 10-month-old BR, and a 4-month-old BO)... Measurements are roughly 2 ft deep x 3 ft wide x 4 ft tall at the top of the peaked roof. The single roost runs the width of the coop, so about 33" (2.75'). The coop has a pop...
I've only got a flock of four, but I built these gravity feeders using PVC pipe from the hardware store (less than $20 for supplies to make 3-4 feeders), and have almost NO spillage. I added a meter gauge with a washer on the outside as the link at the bottom of the instructable shows, to give...
The photo makes that angle look sharper than it is - it's actually a rounded piece of shelving fixture I put in above the poop boards to prevent the birds from flapping up and knocking down the boards. The edges themselves are rounded, and it comes to a fat rounded point, rather than the sharp...
I am thrilled to report that all four birds spent the night together in the proper coop last night. I let them free-range in the yard all day yesterday, progressively moving the extra food and water closer toward, then ultimately inside, the run they'd be sharing. There were a few squawks and...
Howdy all! Just checking in with an incremental update. We brought home three new birds on Saturday - the 4mo Orange Buff Orpington (Georgia), a white Easter Egger (Ruth) and what the seller said was a Barred Rock, but which I am convinced is in fact another EE (Frida), given her brown, black...
Thank you @Mrs. K and @sourland! That is kind of my gut feeling, too... I don’t want to lose the last bird I raised by hand, but it seems like keeping her in solitary through a weird winter molt is just as risky as skipping a quarantine. I will still do the see-but-not-touch introductions to try...
Thanks so much, @Keziah! I didn't expect these tiny dinosaurs to capture my heart like they have, but now I wish they'd stop breaking my heart! Hope yours pull through.