Did mites kill my hen?

[bevyjo]

Hello. I went out to feed my flock this morning and found one of my hens dead on the floor inside the coop. She looks as though she just laid down and died. When I examined her body, I found to my horror that she was VERY thin. I was shocked by this because my hens get handled quite a lot, she has been eating and drinking normally and didn't seem lethargic or ill in any way when I saw her settling in for bed last night. This is a hen who has had a pretty hard life. I bought her from a person who sells hens taken out of laying barn operations. A few months after I got her, she was attacked by a raccoon and spent a month in the house recovering from a pretty nasty neck wound. For the last couple of months she has seemed healthy and happy, and has been laying an egg now and then. (She was a steady layer before the attack.)

As I examined her body I finally discovered that she was swarming with mites! I have been reading about mites lately and had been spot checking the flock every few days, but she was a cinnamon queen and the mites she had were red, not black, so I must have just missed them. It took me a couple of tries to find them this morning. One of the reasons I had checked recently was because I noticed some of the hens I introduced into this run from the other run immediately started dust bathing themselves in the softer soil in the big run.

Did my hen die from mites? If so, how long would this have to have been going on in order for her to die? I realize she may have been weakened by all of her other life experiences, but I feel just awful about this.

I'll be treating the flocks and coops today, so hopefully we can stop this before it goes any further. Thanks for any info/advice you can provide.

 

[RainbowHen]

Sounds like mites could have very well killed her. Any sort of trauma that compromises a bird's immune system will makes them much more sensitive to pests. The pests will then take over and kill the bird. It does take time. The mites suck the blood, usually only at night, eventually causing anemia and death. I've been battling mites also. Been a bad year. Our yard is infested. Check for mites under your bedding and around the water source. I hadn't seen a single mite on my birds but my coop was full of them. I am positive if I hadn't found them when I did the mites would have killed my birds. You will need to completely strip the coop and spray it thoroughly. Repeat every week for 4 weeks. I found that wood ashes under the bedding mixed with poultry Dust worked well for me. Permethrin spray for the coop. Dust the birds. Best of luck.

 

[bevyjo]

Thanks, Rainbowhen. I'm headed to town for poultry dust later this morning and then will clean and dust the coop and the birds. It would be nice if something went right in 2020! Hope your situation gets better too.

 

[Eggcessive]

You will need to get permethrin spray concentrate and follow the lael for mixing it in water. Empty your coop and nests of all bedding and take it far away or burn it. Then spray roosts, nest boxes and the coop. Chickens should be treated at least twice at 7 day intervals. Permethrin dust is okay for dusting the chicken, but you can use the spray in a spray bottle in warm weather. A pint of concentrate Martins or Gordons is under $10 at TSC. It makes many gallons of spray.

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[ILoveDaffy]

It is entirely possible since you didn't catch them early, we had trouble with mites a couple months ago, and found that they take away iron. I would advise that you give you flock raisins, to boost the iron levels.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

To get rid of them, I advise you bathe the hens, and spray coop with a power spray attachment. Next a mite spray (homemade works,If need be I can send a recipe) I poured boiling water in the cracks, then after dry rubbed with lime.