Can mites cause this?

[nikkinewlin]

I have a mite infested coop. I took out all of the old bedding, cleaned it thoroughly dusted it with permethrin powder as well as dusted all of my chickens with the powder. Since then they have all been on a broad spectrum de-wormer with the main ingredient being diatomaceous earth and i have read feeding this will help prevent mites. After all is said and done the chickens still have mites... hmph.

Any hoo- while i am fighting this never ending battle between mites and men-because the mites just aren't enough- I have another problem developing. A VERY sick rooster. He is very lethargic, droopy, he is limping, has a pale comb and has not been drinking, all of this along with dramatic weight loss :~( I brought him inside today and put him on a heating pad- he felt cold to me. I gave him fresh water with antibiotics. I syringe fed him for a while, than he started drinking and eating on his own. I dusted him with DE and sprinkled a bit on his food.

What i want to know is can mites cause this kind of sickness? Annnnd what else can i do for my rooster? Annnnnnnd what can i do for the mite infested coop? Any good ideas or remedies that have worked for you? Please help! I love this rooster to death.

 

[froggiesheins]

A serious mite infestation can cause those symptoms....DE does NOT kill mites/lice. The BEST thing you can do is invest in Frontline PLUS in the 23/44lbs dog size. Get a syringe [minus needle] fill it with the Frontline and give every chicken a drop of it either under the wing OR near the vent. Repeat every 3-4 months. In the meantime, you can dust with Sevin or a poultry dust [that you have done already].

For Mr. ROO, bring him in the house, get him warm, electrolytes&vitamin water, high energy foods and check to see how much of a mite load he has. You can give him a warm bath to get some of the buggers off of him now...... Get the Frontline ASAP.
I hope that helps.....=)

 

[Frost Homestead]

feeding the DE will not help with mites. sounds like you did good dusting with the permethrin powder. what kind of broad spectrum wormer are you giving them and how long have you been treating them with it? the main ingredient in a wormer should not be DE

I would continue with the anti-biotic with the roo since you don't really know what's wrong with him. you're going to have to dust multiple times before you're rid of the mites, they are notoriously hard to get rid of. make sure you dust every nook and cranny of the coop and anywhere the chickens spend time.

 

[nikkinewlin]

Never knew you could use Frontline on chickens! I already have this at my house- I use it on my dog. Now I know that you are not supposed to bath your dog 2 days before or 2 days after applying Frontline, so I assume it would be the same for chickens. Would it be more prudent to give him a bath and wait to apply the frontline or apply the frontline than bath him?

 

[froggiesheins]

Lets see, if he were my guy, I would give him a nice warm bath with Dawn dish soap in the water...keep him in the "tub" as long as possible, making sure you get the head good and wet too. [that will be the FUN part-hee hee]....then off to get blow-dryed in a nice fluffy towel. Then stick the Frontline on and make sure you DO NOT let him near any thing that he was near before in his isolation house coop/house. Hope that makes sense.....

 

[BaGAWK!!]

Like a PP said, you have to re-dust them at several intervals to get rid of the suckers. I would keep doing everything you've been doing, just re dust chickens at 10 day intervals until you no longer see them. They live off the bird in the coop wood and go onto the bird to feed at night. Re dusting will kill the newly hatched mites as the dust won't kill the eggs that are present. Do the same with your coop.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

Be sure to repeat the thorough cleaning of the coop and either dust it all again or spray it with Permethrin Spray... available at the feed store as well. Scrub down the roosts.. and if you use the powdered Permethrin again.. do as dawg53 says: after cleaning and emptying the coop.. put a pile of the dust near the entrance.. have on your protective gear. hat, safety glasses, gloves, MASK, outer wear.. long sleeves.. and use the LEAF BLOWER.. and blow the pile of Sevin Dust or Permethrin dust into the coop and all. it will get onto everything, and into every crack and crevice this way.. as the spray would (you have to dilute the spray and use a sprayer). Repeat ten days after first treatment.
If you use the spray.. be sure to do all this early in the morning.. so that it can dry completely and be aired out before letting the chickens back into the area.. maybe use a fan to aid in the airing out and drying. (Assuming the chickens free range and go out of the coop in the daytime.)

Does anyone know what the effect of Frontline Plus is on / in the eggs? Since it is systemic and lasts for a month.. I am wondering about egg contamination.. and/or the safety of eating eggs after using Frontline on the chickens?

I think I would rather dust the chickens and clean and spray the coop twice (repeating in ten days)... I don't know that I would feel good about using Frontline on laying hens if you want to eat the eggs. But, I don't know about that for sure. Asking??

Good luck.

 

[Frost Homestead]

Be sure to repeat the thorough cleaning of the coop and either dust it all again or spray it with Permethrin Spray... available at the feed store as well. Scrub down the roosts.. and if you use the powdered Permethrin again.. do as dawg53 says: after cleaning and emptying the coop.. put a pile of the dust near the entrance.. have on your protective gear. hat, safety glasses, gloves, MASK, outer wear.. long sleeves.. and use the LEAF BLOWER.. and blow the pile of Sevin Dust or Permethrin dust into the coop and all. it will get onto everything, and into every crack and crevice this way.. as the spray would (you have to dilute the spray and use a sprayer). Repeat ten days after first treatment.
If you use the spray.. be sure to do all this early in the morning.. so that it can dry completely and be aired out before letting the chickens back into the area.. maybe use a fan to aid in the airing out and drying. (Assuming the chickens free range and go out of the coop in the daytime.)

Does anyone know what the effect of Frontline Plus is on / in the eggs? Since it is systemic and lasts for a month.. I am wondering about egg contamination.. and/or the safety of eating eggs after using Frontline on the chickens?

I think I would rather dust the chickens and clean and spray the coop twice (repeating in ten days)... I don't know that I would feel good about using Frontline on laying hens if you want to eat the eggs. But, I don't know about that for sure. Asking??

Good luck.

that's a very good point. I wouldn't eat the eggs if I used Frontline. I prefer to use permethrin, I know it works. If Frontline works anything like it does for dogs/cats I wouldn't trust it to rid my birds of mites or lice. I think some creepy crawlies build up immunity

 

[nikkinewlin]

Thank you guys so much! I gave him a bath in dawn, used a blow drier and a fluffy towel... He absolutely hated it! lol. Re dusted him with the permitherine powder and am keeping him inside and on antibiotics until he puts the weight back on that he lost. He is seeming more energetic today but still not crowing :~( Now to get out the leaf blower.... This is a great idea!