Extremely Lethargic - Green Poop - Mite Infestation

[micstrachan]

They actually do not have a place to dust bathe. I didn’t think about that until today. Do you think this is why the mites got so bad so quickly?

Possible, yes. But the coop itself will need to be treated, as well.

 

[Myavia]

One last thing for the night. Just know that eggs are high in fat. They are excellent as a treat for s sick bird, but not good to feed them on a regular basis. I had a hen die from fatty liver, so I’ve gotten a tad neurotic about their nutrition.

Alright, good to know. Thank you very much.

 

[JerseyGiant123]

It can be a little difficult to tube feed a chicken for the first time. Just take it slow and have a helper. At the base of the tongue there is a slit that can open wide, you dont want to get food in there so you'll have to go past that. I stick it in and see if the chicken has any trouble breathing for a few seconds, then inject the food. You'll want to watch the poop and the crop after to make sure is digesting correctly.

 

[micstrachan]

Its more of their neck being tucked in with their head close to their body. Heres an example:View attachment 2466984

Good example photo.

 

[Myavia]

One quick question - do you think his green poop and lack of strength are in result of his mites infestation? Or do you think they’re different issues?

 

[Myavia]

It can be a little difficult to tube feed a chicken for the first time. Just take it slow and have a helper. At the base of the tongue there is a slit that can open wide, you dont want to get food in there so you'll have to go past that. I stick it in and see if the chicken has any trouble breathing for a few seconds, then inject the food. You'll want to watch the poop and the crop after to make sure is digesting correctly.

Alright, thank you

 

[JerseyGiant123]

One quick question - do you think his green poop and lack of strength are in result of his mites infestation? Or do you think they’re different issues?

I think that the green poop and lack of strength could be coming from him not eating enough, which could be from the mite infestation or something else. You may also want to treat them with corid just incase they are overrun with cocci.

 

[Myavia]

I think that the green poop and lack of strength could be coming from him not eating enough, which could be from the mite infestation or something else. You may also want to treat them with corid just incase they are overrun with cocci.

Alright. Thank you so much. I’ll update you all in the morning.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I can get photos in the morning. The mites are bad, but he’s perked up a bit. I’m located in Southern Ontario, Canada. He’s 6 1/2 months old. I feed them layer pellet, scratch feed, and they free range. I forced him to drink some electrolyte water, and he was eating a bit of food on his own. I have left the electrolyte water in his coop. It is -3 Celsius here, but inside the barn is quite a bit warmer. He’s mostly dried.

I have 12 silkies between the ages of 6 1/2 months and 3 months old, and 3 polish chickens (1 roo, 2 hens) that are 6 1/2 months old.

They actually do not have a place to dust bathe. I didn’t think about that until today. Do you think this is why the mites got so bad so quickly?

One quick question - do you think his green poop and lack of strength are in result of his mites infestation? Or do you think they’re different issues?

How is he?

-3C is pretty cold for a bird that has had a bath and is still damp. Dry him well with a hair dryer.
The mite infestation is part of his problem - it may not be all of it - time will tell, but you need to get rid of them. Hopefully you were able to get something to treat him and all the birds.

Dust bathing is useful for birds to help keep parasites under control, but it sounds like you have an infestation in the housing and on the other birds as well. You will have to keep cleaning and treating housing + birds to eradicate them.

I would suggest that since the birds are young, feed them all an all flock type feed or chick starter instead of layer feed until they all come into lay. Limit scratch and make sure they have grit (rocks) available free choice.

 

[Myavia]

I’m sorry for the late update.

I spent the whole day bathing the chickens and cleaning the coop entirely out. I sprayed Bronco Fly Spray all over the empty coop, and put in new wood shavings. I washed my 12 silkies and 3 polish chickens with a mixture of water, dawn dish soap, and Bronco Fly Spray in a spray bottle. Sprayed them and rinsed it out. Killed majority of the mites. Added dust baths in the coop. Separated the 3 infested chickens from the rest, who didn’t have many mites. My rooster Eddie made it through the night, but isn’t by any means thriving. At least he didn’t get worse since last night. I bought syringes and fed the two worst hit chickens (my polish rooster, and 1 of my polish hens) the baby bird formula suggested earlier. It did seem to make their poops less green. I also fed them electrolyte water, and put electrolytes in their water for the night. I hope my other chickens are okay. My rooster still is mostly dropping his head, although he was talking a bit, eating a bit, and jumping up onto his roost tonight.