8 Year Old Hen Not Eating?

[ClareScifi]

Well not exactly, no, but she did smack her beak bits together, sort of like licking one's lips... How do you give it? I smeared it inside her beak. I thought the syringes were too big to try. I'll try the out of the tube technique early this a.m. Maybe it will look like a tasty worm to her? Great idea! By the way, she seems a bit perkier. I also dusted her with Sevin. I suspect the lice could explain her anemia.

 

[azygous]

I usually do as you did - squeeze out the dose and wipe it inside her beak after prying it open. The stuff is pretty tasteless. I must experiment sometime with mixing it with something that has a taste chickens like.

 

[ClareScifi]

Does Sevin help kill mites in addition to lice? I did find mites on the roosts. I have used both Permethrin and D.E. in the coop and on the chickens in the past. At the vet's today they said bedding has been implicated as a carrier of both mites/lice, although this has not been proven.

 

[azygous]

Mites are more difficult to get rid of than lice. You need to use something that will get deep into all the cracks in the coop where they hide during the day. For this purpose, a liquid spray would be more efficient than powder. But DE is really worthless at killing mites. Permethrin is safe and effective and comes in a liquid.

What I use is Elector PSP. The active ingredient is spinosad and highly effective on mites and lice, as well as darkling beetles that can carry disease. It has a hefty price tag, but it's very economical to use. It's safe because it's a biological control and very long lasting. One spraying will be effective for a long time. You can safely use it directly on your chickens, too.