Emergencies/Diseases/Injuries and Cures

[puppyboy]

My chickens have mites. I took all of the shavings out of coupe and put DE down everywhere, including perches and nesting boxes. It has been this way for 3 days. Can I put shavings back in the coupe now as long as they are mixed with the DE? They have a dirt bath with DE, ashes, and sand that they will not use in the run. It is dry. I could put this same mixture down where they like to bathe in the run but eventually it will get wet. If it gets wet will it no longer be effective?

 

[coach723]

If you have a mite infestation then you really need to use a product containing permethrin, or the more expensive Elector PSP. DE isn't going to get rid of them. You will need to treat the birds and the coop, probably at least 3 times at 7 day intervals to kill any that continue to hatch. There are sprays and powders available at most Tractor Supplies and feed stores, a couple are pictured below. Spray works well in the coop, to get in all the nooks and crannies, the spray or powder can be used on the birds. Some sprays come ready to use, some are concentrated and you dilute with water before using.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[Blackgranite]

I've got a chicken with a broken foot. There anything I ought to do right off the bat? Never had this happen before. Eating just fine, but foot very swollen and painful. Just a pullet hen. Hope I can save her. Help?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've got a chicken with a broken foot. There anything I ought to do right off the bat? Never had this happen before. Eating just fine, but foot very swollen and painful. Just a pullet hen. Hope I can save her. Help?

Can you post some photos of the pullet and her foot?
Is it broken (can you feel the break) or just badly bruised? Was it crushed somehow?
Here's some info about splinting fractures and broken bones in birds. If the foot is really swollen I would monitor it very close if you decide to wrap it so the circulation is not cut off.
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[Blackgranite]

Can you post some photos of the pullet and her foot?
Is it broken (can you feel the break) or just badly bruised? Was it crushed somehow?
Here's some info about splinting fractures and broken bones in birds. If the foot is really swollen I would monitor it very close if you decide to wrap it so the circulation is not cut off.
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

Uh, nope for the pic. I got a very old flip phone. I can't splint it because it appears to be a sprain/strain/break of the ankle joint. The whole foot is swollen double the size of the good one and will not go down despite epsom salt and ice water soaks. Thinking about Cumfrey compress because cumfrey is known for greatly increasing that type of injury thus being called the "knit-bone herb". Should it just heal if I give her solitary confinement in a box by the fire, and some TLC? And if so, about how long should it remain swollen, and is there anything I can do to bring the swelling down?
And thank you so much for the quick response .

 

[Blackgranite]

and I think She landed on it wrong from a test fly off a tree. and no I can't tell if it is broken or not. The swelling is too bad for me to tell much other than the fact that handling it causes pain.

 

[Blackgranite]

and I think She landed on it wrong from a test fly off a tree. and no I can't tell if it is broken or not. The swelling is too bad for me to tell much other than the fact that handling it causes pain.

oh, and she had lice, but I dusted her with ashes, and that seemed to help. haven't seen any lice thus far

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Uh, nope for the pic. I got a very old flip phone. I can't splint it because it appears to be a sprain/strain/break of the ankle joint. The whole foot is swollen double the size of the good one and will not go down despite epsom salt and ice water soaks. Thinking about Cumfrey compress because cumfrey is known for greatly increasing that type of injury thus being called the "knit-bone herb". Should it just heal if I give her solitary confinement in a box by the fire, and some TLC? And if so, about how long should it remain swollen, and is there anything I can do to bring the swelling down?
And thank you so much for the quick response .

Poor thing!
You can give her Aspirin for pain. A 5 pound hen can have up to 81mg twice a day.
It's hard to know when the swelling will go down. It sounds like you are doing what you can to help out with that by soaking. I don't know much about herbal/plant based remedies, but the Comfrey may be worth a shot.

Yes, I would keep her confined for a while just to help keep her cleaner and it makes it easier to treat as well. If possible, place her cage/kennel inside the coop or run so she can be near the others, they seem to do better when they can see other chickens.

 

[Blackgranite]

Poor thing!
You can give her Aspirin for pain. A 5 pound hen can have up to 81mg twice a day.

Yes, I would keep her confined for a while just to help keep her cleaner and it makes it easier to treat as well. If possible, place her cage/kennel inside the coop or run so she can be near the others, they seem to do better when they can see other chickens.

Thanks. I didn't know they liked company so much, so thanks for the tip, and the specific aspirin advice. I'll try that and play around with herbal concoctions and report back in a few weeks once she heals! Maybe I'll figure out a useful herbal remedy that others can use.
Thanks again.

 

[Blackgranite]

It's hard to know when the swelling will go down. It sounds like you are doing what you can to help out with that by soaking. I don't know much about herbal/plant based remedies, but the Comfrey may be worth a shot.

Yes, I would keep her confined for a while just to help keep her cleaner and it makes it easier to treat as well. If possible, place her cage/kennel inside the coop or run so she can be near the others, they seem to do better when they can see other chickens.

Oookaaay. So it's escalated. The swelling has gone down, but her toes are dying.
There is no feeling on the black parts. Frost bite? I would think that the swelling might have cut off circulation and caused gangrene to set in, but why is happening on the good foot too? does frostbite take days to become evident? I don't know much first aid. only that required to get someone to medical personnel, so I have a whole lot of questions what and why and no answers. Confirmed that black areas are uncontrollable, sessile, and have no feeling; shriveled. and it's spreading, faster on the swollen foot than the good foot. The swelling has gone down tremendously, though still evident. She is waving the foot around in the air as if she is trying to get it to move. same chicken as before, pullet, some kind of laced breed that has feathered feet as chicks. Foot was swollen 4 times it's normal size. now barely twice.
I guess, I'll have to put the hen down, but I want to know what it is, and if I can cut the toes off and her be fine, and how to stop it, etc... I don't want her to suffer, and I do want to fix her up but I don't have an inkling as to what this is. Suggestions, ideas?