advice needed

[lindsay750]

I have 14 chickens, unfortunately we recently got red mites in the coop. Coop has been power washed, smothered in Diatom, and so have the chickens. everyone seemed so much bett,er egg production went up etc. Bar one chicken, she seems to be eating every now and again, she'll scratch around, then she just sits there all hunched up, looking sorry for herself. her comb is also quiet pale. Anything I should do? ive been feeding mealworms and scrambled eggs to increase their protein for feather re growth, thats the only other change.

many thanks in advance guys

 

[Suzie]

Sadly diatom is no defence against mites and lice...you should treat the coop and remove any nesting material ( burn nesting material ) and treat the coop and chickens with Sevin dust or permethryn...re-treat within 7 - 10 days to rid any hatching eggs.

Have you recently treated your flock for a possible worm infestation ?

A pale comb may be an indication of mite/lice infestation or worms...

 

[Judy]

One possibility is that this chicken is weak due to an underlying illness which is impeding her recovery from the mites. Did the others get pale combs from the mites? A pale comb isn't getting enough blood, which can have a lot of causes. Maybe the bird is anemic, maybe in heart or other organ failure, maybe an internal layer or a cancer, and certainly lots of other possibilities. It's even possible the mites first attacked her, being the weak one, and spread from there.

When a chicken is sick, it's generally best to move it into a warm place (like your spare bothroom) and keep it warm while you work on good hydration, then on improved nutrition. I hope you're able to resolve this happily.

 

[Judy]

Suzie is quite right; I missed that. They need an effective treatment. Your hen's symptoms may very well be strictly from the mites.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf

i also agree that wormind would probably be something to consider seriously. If you are sure they have external parasites, though, I would first get rid of them, and give the birds a bit of recovery time before treating for worms, for which I would recommend Valbazen or Safeguard.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you are in the UK, diatom or DE may be all you can find to use since most everything is illegal or unavailable for chickens. However in my Practical Poultry magazine, I believe that I saw that you can buy permethrin powder in one product. That would work on the mites, but cleaning the coop, and dusting every 7 days would be needed until they are gone. Liquid permethrin 10% is good for spraying roosts, walls, and empty nest boxes. Here are some possible links:
http://www.agropharm.co.uk/Poultry-and-Veterinary-Care/Poultry-Care/Product-Poultry-Care
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nomad-Bugproof-Clothing-Treatment-Permethrin/dp/B000R2DQFW
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifesystems-Ex4-Permethrin-Treatment-350Ml/dp/B002WN1S5Y

 

[lindsay750]

thanks all. they have been wormed regularly, so that's not an issue. I am in the UK so all they offer is Red Mite Kill, which is Diatom. I will try the links, thank you so much for your help.

 

[lindsay750]

thank you!! will be purchasing some tomorrow!!

 

[Judy]

One thing you can do that does seem to help is add wood ashes to their dust bathing areas.