Bad mites, feet hard as rocks-can't move them? Eyes are swelled?

[Smokin Silkies]

I just don't know what to do with my Silkie hen. I had posted about mites awhile back. I thought I had them under control but I guess not. She's the only one out of the whole coop who seems to have them. I thoroughly checked each chicken & couldn't find a single one. She was so bad that she was brought in the house twice. 2nd time around she was thin but didn't see many mites (reddish fast moving bugs) but I made sure she was eating and drinking fine. Well she was doing so good that for a couple of days I didn't 'examin" her as good as before. 2 days ago I noticed her eyes were crusted/swelled shut and she lost alot of weight. I saw her eating/drinking though. She had some mites around her vent and covering her head only....nowhere else on the body. She's already been treated with the poultry dust for over a month now (along with the whole coop), plus a couple baths (today as well) I noticed her feet are hard as rocks! She can't move her feet or her toes. They were badly bitten before but this all happened so fast! What could be wrong with her feet? I'm getting so frustrated and this poor girl is not doing well. She's soooo sweet and she doesn't seem to be giving up but I don't know if shes suffering. Can somebody please help me because this is not working, what i'm doing. Her eyes get crusted shut just about everytime I wipe them off. I put some Vitamin E oil around them hoping it would work.....her feet worry me. Any help PLEASE!

 

[purpletree23]

Can you post a picture of her feet?

 

[Miss Lydia]

there is a Silky thread that would help you tremendously get on the index and go to breeds there you will find the Silkie thread.. lots of very knowledgeable people on there.. and so sorry for your little silkie hope she gets okay.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Thanks Miss Lydia I'll check it out and purpletree I'll try and post pics tomorrow.

 

[welasharon]

Go ahead and dip her legs in vegetable oil, mineral oil something like that. THe oil smothers the mites. I would also take my finger and wipe oil on her head, comb all around where it looks crusty. I did some rescue chicken work where they had mites so bad they had lost toes. tHeir feet were so hard and crusty. I kept soaking them in oil and letting it sit then picking the crusty stuff loose. You have to be careful not to pull it off as it also pulls the skin too. Some of them take days and many treatments to clear up. I put pour on ivomec on the worst ones to help. The one little hen was the only one who had them on her head. When I wiped her with a soft rag a couple days after oiling it a layer of skin came off. SHe was in a mess. Post some pics of the feet so we can tell better. Their feet start to look like craggly dinosaur types of toes when it is really bad. Good luck!
sharon

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Sounds like Northern fowl mites there definatly not fun to deal with as they suck the nutrience right out of a chicken. You can tell signs by the whitening of waddles and combs. Lethargic, Ruffled feathers and poor meat to feed conversions. You stated you brought her into your house for treatmeant because she was so bad. You also stated you thought you had them under Control.
You might have brought them inside as they do walk on humans as well. And perhaps since mites lay eggs on the host But do not bed on the host but in nests. Perhaps your the transportation of the mites. I try to do any treatment of birds on a tarp in the yard so that when finished I can spray and disinfect the table and the tarp. Reguardless of if its treating bumble foot or. Mites, Using Bio security can help greatly in eradication of alot of Bad things Poultry farmers come across.
I suggest you do the best in disinfecting your house of any mites, as well as all nest boxes and coops Treat all dusting spots in your yard. And use an Ivomec Pour on solution 3 drops per bantam and SF 5-6 Per LF depending on average weight. (For example a 11-15 lbs chicken would get 6 drops.) Also use vicks vapor rub on the feet. should only need to apply that once. Vet RX works also as it shares the same ingredient as vicks exept the petrolium helps in suffocating any eggs that might hatch and stays on longer then Vet RX. These are Ideas of my own Opinion and there definatly might be someone else out there with a better solution then I might have.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Sorry, I should've explained myself better...I did treat outside before bringing her in. BUT there were still live mites on her while she was in the house so I guess they could've hidden somewhere. I keep her in a big plastic storage drawer (like the ones you buy at walmart) in my furnace room. It's the only room I can put them. Problem is, is that I have other chicks in there that are too small to take outside. Although I have them on opposite sides of the room, I now worry they will get them. I only keep them in this room because my kids can't get to them. It's impossible to put them elsewhere. I don't have a huge house and no basement

Anyways, your saying they can travel off of her, outside of the bin and lay eggs or live somewhere else? I've checked every chick in that room and I haven't noticed any mites or eggs etc. yet. I'm going to take pics after I get done with my coffee

ETA a few questions: Are you saying I have to treat my whole house with the poultry dust? I have young children & pregnant.

Why isn't a single other chicken that was in that coop affected with a single mite? I have searched each & every one & not a single mite anywhere? (although they were each treated & the whole coop)

I haven't noticed any mites anywhere near her feet? Be back in a few with pics!

 

[FoodKillah]

I also had a hen with mites and the other 4 including rooster didnt have any

I sprayed her with some spray from the petshop that said its for birds and repells mites and lice. I sprayed her, i didnt isolate her, she was on free range all day with the rest of the flock, days later i checked and she was clean

What i really wanted to say is that i had also a single chicken with mites and cannot understand it. My conclusion was that this hen has poor hygiene control when dust bathing, but i am not an expert neither completely sure, however i still keep an eye on her and examine her more than the others, after 2 months she is still clean and i am starting to loose my attention again. I dont use any dust or medicine or something special for chickens yet, i only had to use that silly spray once.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Here's some pics, I had a hard time getting some clear ones. Some I edited to try & make it a little brighter (you can tell in the pics). Her feet are blackish grey with alot of White (esp on the tops) on them and the tops are swelled. (normally they are all black) She had alot of foot feathering, but now its just a little on the toes and barely any on top.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Her toes stay just like the pics....they can't be moved. They arch upwards and when she walks on the plastic, it sounds like she has tap dancing shoes on....but she hasn't walked much the last few days. Just stays backed up in the corner. I have food & water right in front of her & check on her hourly when I'm here to make sure she's eating/drinking.

FoodKillah: Do you know what the spray you used was called?

Also, is it best to put her outside, back in her coop instead of in the house?