Greetings Lnzsmith,
That poor old girl...she needs to be handled carefully, due to her age and other illness.
I would first administer some Nutri Drench orally, to giver her a boost.
They can quickly become anemic and weak, when the mite infestation is heavy.
Since you have her isolated from the flock, you can treat her with
wood ash to kill the mites. I have used it successfully on my entire flock.
This is messy, so find a good spot to do it.
Wearing a pair of latex gloves:
Fill a tub big enough for the hen to fit in, fill half way with some wood ash. Remove any pieces of charcoal first.
Then, lay the hen on her side, hold her legs.
Push the ash under the wings, around the vent, belly, neck and back.
Take care not to get any in her eyes or nostrils.
Talk to her calmly with a soft voice, so she doesn't get too stressed. She is old and sick, so work quickly, so as not to over stress her.
Finish, by applying a small amount of Nu-Stock ointment to the comb and wattles. Nu-Stock has a high sulfur content which will repel and kill any mites trying to escape to those areas. I blend it with a little petrolatum jelly to make it a bit milder for the chicken. If you can't find Nu-Stock ointment at the feed/farm store, you can use some
Sulfur8 medicated, it is an anti-dandruff hair & scalp conditioner for people. I buy it at
Wal-mart. It's in a special isle for ethnic hair products.
And that's it, she will look scruffy for a couple of days. But, the ash will smother and kill all mites on her. She'll preen and fix her feathers the way she likes them.
Be sure to provide her with a recovery diet: meat or egg protein, Diced fruit, fresh greens, toast with butter, cooked whole grains - wheat berries, brown rice, pearl barley and/or oat groats.
She needs her immune system pumped up too: give echinacea tea or aloe vera in the water.
These are all natural and gentle treatments that work for my girls.
However, I have purchased and used the Elector PSP spray recommended on the Chicken Chick web site, successfully too.
Now, you can treat the rest of the flock in their pen, then, clean out the coop and use the permethrin to kill any mites that are hiding. Add fresh bedding, if you use it.
Here is my recipe for my coop/insectacidal spray, to clean, freshen and kill any mites that may crawl in. Spray the perches, and crevices in the mornings.
Combine in a large spray bottle: 5 Droppers Organic Neem Oil, 2 Droppers Lavendar Oil, 2 Droppers Eucalyptus Oil, 1 teaspoon Dawn Dish Detergent, fill the spray bottle with water. Shake and spray!
You can even spray the chicken's legs to kill any scalely leg mites, if it isn't a severe case.
These are my thoughts...hope they are of some help.
God Bless.
