Another scaly mite question!

[HS2010]

Hello, I've got 3 chickens I bought last summer - my first girls!

My Plymouth rock started acting drunk last week - staggering around before bed. She was not too bad in the day - but if you looked closely her legs were shaking. I think maybe I hadn't been changing the layers pellets as often as I should and maybe she got some mould - lesson learned. Or maybe it was just a cold or a virus - do chickens get cols like we do?!

I've never given her (or the two other chooks - bantams) anything in their water. So, I got some Poultry Tonic and some ACV and have given them a few different top-ups in their water.

She has seemed to be getting better - no staggering and we're now a week on, but I was also thinking the whole time maybe it was scaly leg mites? I took photos this morning and wondered if anyone had any thoughts. Both bantams don't appear to be ill at all - although I can't see their feet!

Thank you!

 

[orelsi]

Some of the scales do look raised. Get some petroleum jelly/vaseline and apply a thin layer twice a day over the raised scales for several days (5 to 7). It will suffocate any mites. It works wonderfully. It will also soften the scales and if it is mites, the old scales will fall off and new ones will grow. I can't be sure it's mites, but the jelly won't hurt the chickens in any way, so no harm trying it.

 

[HS2010]

Some of the scales do look raised. Get some petroleum jelly/vaseline and apply a thin layer twice a day over the raised scales for several days (5 to 7). It will suffocate any mites. It works wonderfully. It will also soften the scales and if it is mites, the old scales will fall off and new ones will grow. I can't be sure it's mites, but the jelly won't hurt the chickens in any way, so no harm trying it.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Sounds like a plan - I shall go and get some vaseline. As you say, it can't hurt

 

[nuthatched]

What is her complete diet? Itcould be sure easy as vitamin deficiency.

 

[HS2010]

What is her complete diet? Itcould be sure easy as vitamin deficiency.

So, she has copdock layer pellets (https://amzn.eu/d/85WH33Z) in the run, and copdock gold which has some corn and peas etc in in another feeder out in the garden where the run around. Ingredients below:

Then I give them some cucumber and blueberries from time to time.

I hadn't until recently given them anything in their water. But as I say, I did introduce some Johnson Poultry tonic (https://johnsons-vet.com/shop/poultry-tonic-500ml/) for a couple of days and some of Battles Poultry drink (https://www.battles.co.uk/catalogue/detail.aspx?pid=937&ps=1&gid=391&pg=A9iqiaFfeWAtTlFtlTfcDw==) for a couple of days over the past 10 days.

Thank you

 

[nuthatched]

So, she has copdock layer pellets (https://amzn.eu/d/85WH33Z) in the run, and copdock gold which has some corn and peas etc in in another feeder out in the garden where the run around. Ingredients below:


View attachment 3742569

Then I give them some cucumber and blueberries from time to time.

I hadn't until recently given them anything in their water. But as I say, I did introduce some Johnson Poultry tonic (https://johnsons-vet.com/shop/poultry-tonic-500ml/) for a couple of days and some of Battles Poultry drink (https://www.battles.co.uk/catalogue/detail.aspx?pid=937&ps=1&gid=391&pg=A9iqiaFfeWAtTlFtlTfcDw==) for a couple of days over the past 10 days.

Thank you

Thanks!
Unfortunately, UK livestock feeds aren't required to list the nutritional value so it's hard to tell if she is or isn't getting the vitamins she needs. Feed companies can also supplement the amino acid levels without raising the actual protein levels.
Without a nutritional break down, I can only suggest that she may be suffering from a vitamin deficiency. She might need more concentration of vitamins than available in the tonic.
Give one 400.i.u vitamin E capsule and about a third of a B complex tablet, every day for a few weeks. Any brand from the grocery store, just pull down on her waddle and pop it in her beak. Or mix it into a treat like yogurt.
I'm a bit concerned that feed says that you can feed the layer feed to 3 week old birds, layer typically has too much calcium and not enough protein for non laying and growing birds. But without the nutritional label, I can't be sure.

 

[HS2010]

So, she was looking a bit better for 4-5 days and wasn't falling over and losing her balance.

But the day before yesterday, she started going downhill again. And I am sure I heard her sneeze - do they get colds like us?!

I don't think she has been eating much yesterday or the day before, and I've just let them out of the coop. She hasn't been over the water or food; I've tried to offer it to her by hand, but no luck.

What do I do now?! Force feed her some sugar water or something?

(It's ok, I'll go and search the forum for looking after sick chickens - this was more an update...)

 

[HS2010]

Well, I don't think it's looking good. She is still on the decline. This evening, she couldn't get up the steps back to the lawn to get to the coop, so I took her and laid her down.

I gave her some mite treatment a couple of days ago as she did seem to be preening a lot behind her shoulders, but I don't think it has made a difference.

I did just realise in a conversation with my wife that I did see some poop a week or so ago that had some bright 'emerald' green swirls in it. I remember thinking at the time it was very odd as it was a very unnatural colour. I'm seeing this online around Marek's?

In hindsight, the guy I got them from didn't strike me as the vaccinating type.

So, then the question, as a complete novice to pets in general and country life - when/do I put her out of her misery and - does anyone have a good YT link for how to do it?! (((((