Advice needed, please! I'm not a beginner but this has me stumped 🤔😟

Henhouse Harlot

Songster
Feb 25, 2022
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Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
We moved with our small flock of 7 hens and a rooster, to an old friend of mines place last fall, sight unseen. I trusted things would be, more or less, how they were the last time I was here. A small flock of beloved hens, placidly pecking about. Cared for, loved, healthy...
Well, when we arrived this time, there were about 20+ mangy, unkempt, underfed assorted hens, and easily twice that many roosters. As you can probably imagine, it was total chaos. Every chicken for itself! 😳
Obvious nasty cases of Scaly Leg mites, comb colors ranging from pale to dark purple, and general malaise describes the "Parking Lot Chickens". It's really sad!
Well, since making the mistake of moving here, next to chickens who run wild and hop my fence, I have now lost two seemingly healthy young hens to who-knows-what. I'm positive everyone here has parasites, and probably a few other problems as well.
I just want to figure out how to get everyone healthy again!
Pictures soon, I'm looking for any and possibilities here! Lice, mites, infection, what have you.
Pictures tomorrow!!!
 
What a zoo. Or circus. It's indeed something all right.

Probably a good place to begin would be to give each chicken a few drops of Ivermectin 1%. That would treat internal and external parasites, including leg mites.

Go ahead and mix up some Corid for the PLCs. It can't hurt.

They need a good diet to resuscitate their immune systems. But beyond these few measures, I don't see what else you can do. Any chickens with avian viruses will just need to see it play out.
 
I would worm them with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat worme, possibly treat them with Corid, and use probiotics a couple of days a week. Use a good balanced chicken feed and clean water every day. Vitamins for a short time may also help (but not until after Corid is finished.) This has happened to other people here where they have rehomed their flocks at some point, then were offered the chickens back later. Hopefully, you can get them back to good health soon.
 
I understand Diatomacious Earth (DE) would help w/the parasites on the outside; mites, lice etc. For me I would spread a generous amount where they tend to dust bathe. For the rest I would be as lost as you are!
I think I would butcher most or all of the roosters, or give them to someone to butchers. They are not needed and culling them will help the health of the entire flock
We're on the same page about the roosters, all the way. At this point, the..."coyotes"....have kindly taken all but 5 of the bachelor roosters, it's a touchy situation unfortunately. 😕
I'm finally making progress though!! Thank you everyone!
If anyone has anything else, I'm all ears!
 
Is there any chance of butchering some of them? (Especially the roosters.)
Actually, the strangest thing started happening after we moved in... Roosters, just bachelor roosters, started to vanish! Personally, I blame the coyotes around here. Those chickens aren't kept in a coop!
On a completely different note, I'm friends with the nicest Latino family......they do eat meat. 😜
 
Words like, "overwhelming" & "daunting" come to mind! There's no way to keep those chickens completely separated from mine. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, or build, they are simply hungry. (They belonged to my friends Mother, when she died last April, the chickens got forgotten.) My friend is a mess over her Mother, and so is in complete denial. She's told me multiple times how many "chicken experts" just RAVED about how beautiful her chickens were, how 'healthy'. 😳
She thinks a few handfuls of cracked corn once in awhile is more than enough food, because they're "free-range". 😟
My chickens have real food. All the time, clean water as well Of course the "98% Chickens " want inside our yard! Well, it's a delicate situation because I truly love this woman and I can see that she's been completely traumatized by grief. So, I'm going to fix her chickens. 😶‍🌫️Try to!
Once I started to set 'flock blocks' out for the "PLC's" they started to stay out, all except a few very brave roosters, and one small but fierce hen with a single chick. My own Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster outweighs these tiny PLC roosters by a good 7lbs! He's enormous, compared. He also doesn't like random visits. My beauty-queen Silver chicken, she chases the hen and chick. 😯
There's still contact though.
I'm not even sure where to begin, the standard questions don't work here. I bed my coop with good quality straw, deep litter method. These Parking Lot Chickens roost EVERYWHERE at night, but I think I know most spots. Mainly in the barn rafters and trees!
I suppose all this rambling is me looking for support and direction. Please, help? Thank you!!! ♥️
 
Update!
My chickens are thriving, our fences are holding, and as long as I make sure to feed the PLC's, they stay away. A few of my chickens had mild cases of Scaly leg mites, and so I treated everyone. Nu-stock on the legs, soaks in warm epsom salt water, scrub with a tooth brush. ♥️🙏 I'm starting Corid tomorrow..... 🤞
 

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