Anemic Chicken? Treated for lice, very pale combs, worms? please help

[Chicken Dreams]

I have dusted my 8 month wyandotte for lice two days ago

but she has a pale comb and wattles. She is still very weak but

she has been eating well. Any suggestions for feeding an

anemic chicken? Or is she anemic at all?

Thanks for helping

PS her poo is very small and tube shaped like rabit feed pellets

 

[crazyhen]

That sounds more like worms to me. When was she wormed? Gloria Jean

 

[Chicken Dreams]

I have never wormed my chickens just dusted for lice (i didn't know chickens

could get worms until recently). I have been thinking about Piperazine or a different

kind but lots of people say not to worm a weak chicken

I even looked at her poo

a bit before i discovered the lice and it was green with white caps (normal?) just mini.

there were no strange worms that i could see. i will look again though

 

[Judy]

You are unlikely to find worms in the poo -- have to have a microscope, and then I think what they see is the eggs, or small segments, I don't know.

I'd go ahead and do the piperazine; much safer than anything else for a first worming, especially if they're a year or more. Better to try than lose her to worms.

 

[Chicken Dreams]

Okay good point

She is really skinny and small

Do you think worms weakened her

and them she got lice?

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

It is possible she has both worms and lice. If she is losing weight, has a pale comb, and otherwise looks unhealthy despite eating normally or excessively, I would suspect worms and would treat my flock. I have never had to worm, but have also read warnings about worming a weak chicken. Perhaps others on this site who have more experience than I do can help you further with this.

Good luck to you.

EDITED TO ADD: Here is some information on lice and mites, and how to check your flock for both. http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[Judy]

Worms are in the soil and the bugs they eat, and lice/mites are dropped on them by wild birds. They're unavoidable. It's a matter of how many. But yes, being compromised by either one can make them more susceptible to the effects of the other.

I hope one of these, or both, is her problem, and treatment will get her better. Good luck.

 

[Chicken Dreams]

Thanks for all the great advice!

Another question: What is the best wormer?

and whick one is the cheapest? I only have three

chickens (city regulations) so I don't need a lot

at all and money is a bit thin?

Oh yeah how long will recovery be?

Thanks

 

[Argante]

I brought my broody rosecomb bantam inside to wait for the mail order chicks to arrive..... two weeks later I noticed she had some kind of white nits on her head feathers, I treated her with DE and washed out and refreshed the bedding in the brooder. Her comb went pale, but I didn't realize that was bad. The chicks arrived, she set on them, but they started dying. I treated her with DE again and used Poultry Protector spray to loosen and remove the nits... but I found mites all over her vent anyway. More chicks die. Off to the vet we go.... Turns out the hen has THREE different intestinal parasites + mites and/or lice.

Luckily for us there are several veterinarians in the Portland metro area who see backyard chickens.

She's now on two different drugs to combat the internal parasites; Panacur & Albon. Since she is eating very little (and who can blame her with all those bugs in her guts!) the vet suggested syringe feeding her strawberry ensure (she said it works on sick parrots) and to offer her any finely chopped treats she'll accept.

Day two on the meds, she still won't eat much at one time and her comb is still pale, but she likes the chopped strawberries, minced parsley, and cooked brown rice I've given her so far. And she loves the ensure. She seems stronger so I'll use the Poultry Dust on her to eradicate the mites/lice tonight. And refresh the bedding.... again. I wish I had used the PD when I first saw the nits instead of just DE.

As soon as we came home from the vet we separated her from the chicks (she's in a clear sided brooder next to the wire walled side of the chick brooder, they still peep and cluck to each other) and put the chicks on Sul-met from the feed store. No more chicks have died and the droopy ones have perked up.

The vet said the hen's poop would be contagious and a danger to the chicks for the next week at least. I figure when the hen is done with the 5 day course of meds and the chicks are done with the 10 day course of Sul-met then they can be reunited safely.

This episode ran us about $200... so far. Sigh. But we had the cash on hand, luckily, and paying some bills late is worth it if we get to keep our sweet little banty.