BJ roo unwell - wondering about redosing w/Ivomec Eprinex..

[jjthink]

Yikes CAS, sounds like that was a lot of fun. How did you figure out which type of mite it was? Given the different treatment protocols (the roost mite is a comparative nightmaer to treat since it's the environment and not the bird that needs an overhaul...).

My gut is telling me mites are the problem here. The feed store has a poultry dust with permethrin for Northern Fowl Mite. I may give that a whirl first. How I hate these chemicals, but my boy needs help..... The container the feed store has is for 200 birds - yeesh.

JJ

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Oh I woke up this morning and was thinking about my post- I realized that I had forgotten to mention the whole point I wanted to make, which was that I felt the creepy crawlies on my arms right before my very eyes and didn't see anything ON MY ARMS when they had mites!

I ID'ed the bugs by looking at pictures of the bugs and measurements of how large they should be when engorged. My guess is that maybe the juveniles are too small to be seen with the naked eye easily?

I just take a cardboard box and line it with a plastic trash bag to catch the powder. Then I take a chicken, put it on its back inside the box and powder puff him with a sock tied off at the top (powder inside the sock). Under wings, vent, everywhere except the face. Mask, gloves, long sleeves, shower afterward, etc.!

Then repeat in 10 days to get the hatching eggs!
Here is ohioline:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[jjthink]

Funny - I printed that article last night! Thanks

I decided to go to work late so I could get started on helping BJ. Since he's hiding it has to be bad. I think the molt fooled me for too long - should have done this sooner.

For starters I ditched 99% of the pine shavings in BJ and Ellie's environment (the other 1% would have taken hours more and I have to get to work) - that was 6 huge hefty bags of shavings - and put all new beautiful shavings in after first sprinking some poultry dust (permethrin) underneath.
Then I held BJ and worked some of the dust here and there - hard to get down to skin level but I know I got some around his bum, under wings and such.. He was open mouth breathing at that point so I let him be. He went back to hiding but did gobble some cut up apple afterward with my humble apology. Another session no doubt needed within a day or so as I imagine any mites will just move to a spot not yet treated

.

I like your powder puff method - I will do that next time. It was very awkward taking pinchfuls and spreading the stuff around with my fingers - probably used enough to treat 20 birds but hit only a fraction of his body.. Itchy just thinking about it. BJ has never done well on his back - seems to have trouble breathing so I'll have to figure something out.
When they go to clean/preen there's no question in my mind that they end up ingesting the stuff. I may mix a bit with their bedding - they like to sleep on a shelf line with fluffy pine shavings.

Mask, gloves, long sleeves, shower afterward - check!

With a magnifying glass again employed this time I saw some little brown specs on his fluffy white under feathers, which may confirm my suspicions. I cannot see anything with the naked eye - your experience sounds just like mine - I feel but cannot see a thing on my arms at times, so maybe it is the little buggers.

I just hope this is the Northern Fowl mite because the chicken mite that only comes out at night is much tougher to treat.

Thanks for circling back - hope I've caught this in time

. Thanks everyone....
JJ

 

[seminolewind]

That is an amazingly long life for a roo. You must be doing something right.
Since IE works for all worms and bugs, I would not treat him again since he's weak. I would be serving him his favorite foods .
I remember when one of my JG hens had a big molt, she avoided the other chickens, didn't act right, not much interest in food, got thin. It lasted quite a while. Then she started to get better. She scared me pretty bad.

I think I would put some vits and e-lytes in their water, it might get him thru his molt faster.
Chickens make ya crazy, don't they?

 

[jjthink]

They make me utterly crazy Karen!

I'm going to hold off on the IE and stick with the poultry dust....

Today he's hiding the worst - and somewhat puffy, hanging head...Damnation...I think I called it wrong by blaming the molt for these past few weeks when his has barely been a molt....

BJ and Ellie get Avia Charge 2000 in their water daily - a nutritional/vitamin supplement......
I am toying with hospitalizing him for tube feedings and such though he will decline badly without Ellie (he is such a devoted guy - he cannot endure not having his lady friend present and accounted for) so only if they'll house them both together. I can't imagine though that the avian vet would be thrilled about my bringing a bird with mites in..... under the magnifying glass I think I finally saw one of the brown specs moving on his feather so now I'm convinced he has mites.

I'm at work now and hoping BJ can rest a bit after being assaulted by me with the poultry dust. So beautiful out - finally, after so much rain - yet he's hiding in a dark damp part of my outbuilding within which he and Ellie's house resides. Ugh. And she won't leave his side, so they're both in the dark. Not good. (their house is bright and has all new clean shavings as of this morning, though if it's the roost mites that won't take care of the problem). Can't wait to get back there tonight to check on him. Were it not for an utterly unavoidable meeting this afternoon I'd still be there now.

JJ

(BJ's hen friend Ellie was like your hen when she molted last year - it was really bad and was was almost naked - she stumbled like a drunk, wouldn't eat, zombie eyes, - it took a lot of TLC to get her through it - hoping her molt is less intense this time around - she started yesterday. Glad your girl got better)

 

[seminolewind]

Gosh JJ, I've "known" you for so long and didn't realize how attached you are to your chickens!!!
After all the treatments, I strongly doubt that BJ has any bugs left! If you can take him to a vet I would.

He is a very very old chicken. Just keep giving him his favorite foods. No more bug killer. 9 years old is super old especially for a roo.
He must be a nice roo.

 

[chkn]

I've been having problems this year with some insect I can't see that I know is affecting my chickens too. It's something getting in my house. I have yet to verify what it is. In general, I don't 'see' bugs on my chickens. I do see the standard bird mites when they are crawling around the perimeter of my covered run and I do note my chickens scratching their heads and excessively grooming. I don't know if you've used sevin but it should get all types.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Thanks Karen. He is such a dear - I would do anything for him. Has always been the most gentle soul and so utterly selfless with his lady companions. I always assumed roos generally outlived hens because hens have all those dreadful reproductive-related issues (eggbound, peritonitis and such) but have definitely seen some signs of aging in BJ (even before this current situation). But only a few months ago he was glistening and gorgeous and energetic... Weeks back when I just started to sense something might be off, I IE'd him (one dose Ivomec Eprinex hoping enough of it got on his skin and not just his feathers). Then nothing again until today when I put some of the poultry dust on after becoming convinced about the mites (from the way his feathers look to seeing the brown specs with magnifying glass and then saw one move and also based on his hiding and general malaise no longer convincingly from a molt because his molt has been so very mild). I know I didn't do a good job getting the stuff on him but didn't want to overly stress him. I just cannot wait to get to him tonight to see how he is as he was really hiding big time when I left. I'll try to get more food into him when I get there.

To see Ellie so worried about him is something else. Usually he doe sall the worrying and she is care free. But now that he's under the weather the tables have turned and she is flawlessly attentive - it's both sad and beautiful. When I had him in my lap and was trying to gently get some poultry dust on him she made such sympathetic sounds fo rhim and didn't stop until I let him go

JJ

 

[seminolewind]

Awww, rooster in your lap??? I think I have a lap roo to be that's 4 weeks old. He chirps till I pay attention to him, it's crazy.
So you saw bugs with a magnifying glass?? Maybe I should check my molters again the same way.

Maybe some vits and e-lytes would help. But I know how you feel. I have 3 JG sisters, my first chickens, and one isn't as shiny, and she's slower, and she's lost some weight. My favorite, of course, and she always jumped up on my chair arm to say good morning.

But roosters are real special to me, I've lost 3 in the past that broke my heart.

Let me know how he does.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Red mites (chicken mites) like people's homes too - these are different from the Northern Fowl mite which lives on the bird. Red mites live in the coop and eat at night. If you have them in your home you might try to get rid of them now.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-5/Laura_E_John.html
I sprinkled borax all over my floors when I had Northern Fowl mites in my house and I found a dead one on the borax the next day next to my bed. You might google it to see if it would work for you but be aware it is toxic if ingested in case you have small children in the home (not good idea if you have small children).

They most likely would just die with no chickens to feed from in your home, as you don't have a birds' nest to bring in large numbers of them.

Edited to add: I realize my post is confusing- what I am trying to say is that the Northern Fowl mite just dies off the chicken. It doesn't like people. The red or chicken mite CAN decide to breed inside a human dwelling but it is only found in the coop and at night gets the chickens. IF you think you have red mites in your home then I would get rid of them. Sorry for the confusing post.