Feather loss, lethargy, red butt, please help!

[microchick]

Ascites can also be as a result of tumors and internal laying in older hens.

I just lost a 3 year old hen to ascites. She stopped laying in March. Died earlier this month. From her loss of weight I suspect tumors. She was 2 when she developed the ascites. Older but not old and she was laying heavily until she suddenly stopped laying and developed the ascites.

Seven has not been withdrawn. I know because I just purchased a 3 pack of it from Walmart. Look it up on their site. Carbaryl is the ingredient that has come under scrutiny but there are many threads here on BYC concerning using it in nesting boxes and bedding as well as roost bars to kill parasites.

Sometimes flock keepers have to improvise.

As for feather shaft mites/lice. The rooster I had did not have broken off or chewed off feathers. His feathers were GONE. Looked plucked clean except where a few stray feathers were trying to grow back. I had treated him for mites earlier but evidently I hadn't used enough of the permethrin on him. I retreated him putting drops directly on his denuded areas and like I said, within a week I was seeing pin feathers.

I would be interested to know if Seven is still be recommended here on BYC for treatment of lice/mites in chickens and in coops.

I saw by your location that you are in the UK. Things are probably regulated differently there concerning such things then they are here in the US.

 

[Chicalina]

Ascites can also be as a result of tumors and internal laying in older hens.

I just lost a 3 year old hen to ascites. She stopped laying in March. Died earlier this month. From her loss of weight I suspect tumors. She was 2 when she developed the ascites. Older but not old and she was laying heavily until she suddenly stopped laying and developed the ascites.

Seven has not been withdrawn. I know because I just purchased a 3 pack of it from Walmart. Look it up on their site. Carbaryl is the ingredient that has come under scrutiny but there are many threads here on BYC concerning using it in nesting boxes and bedding as well as roost bars to kill parasites.

Sometimes flock keepers have to improvise.

As for feather shaft mites/lice. The rooster I had did not have broken off or chewed off feathers. His feathers were GONE. Looked plucked clean except where a few stray feathers were trying to grow back. I had treated him for mites earlier but evidently I hadn't used enough of the permethrin on him. I retreated him putting drops directly on his denuded areas and like I said, within a week I was seeing pin feathers.

I would be interested to know if Seven is still be recommended here on BYC for treatment of lice/mites in chickens and in coops.

I saw by your location that you are in the UK. Things are probably regulated differently there concerning such things then they are here in the US.

Yes, Sevin/Carbaryl is banned here by the EU because it is toxic and causes cancer. That puts both the human user and the animal at risk. There are other safer pesticides you can use. I forgot that the US allows a load of stuff we don't.

Permethrin is widely used and considered safe. I also use Ivermectin on my birds which kills internal and external parasites, and I dust with DE too in the coop.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sevin dust is no longer recommended for use on poultry here in the USA.

We can still use it to control garden pests though.

Permethrin is the recommended treatment for mites and lice. It is available in both powder and liquid.

DE is unproven, becomes easily airborne and is harmful if inhaled to both birds and humans. It is also harmful to bee populations who may come in contact with it while flying or while landing on flowers it has settled on.

 

[Chicalina]

Sevin dust is no longer recommended for use on poultry here in the USA.

We can still use it to control garden pests though.

Permethrin is the recommended treatment for mites and lice. It is available in both powder and liquid.

DE is unproven, becomes easily airborne and is harmful if inhaled to both birds and humans. It is also harmful to he bee populations who may come in contact with it while flying or while landing on flowers it has settled on.

Thanks for clarifying.

DE has pros and cons. It is indiscriminate as to what insects it kills, so yes keep it away from bees. I put mine underneath the deep litter shavings and a sprinkle on the poop board in my coop under a thin layer of shavings. To deter mites that scurry around there. Very little, if any gets outside, or gets airborne to affect my chickens breathing, so I'm comfortable with that. Use sparingly I would say if you choose to use it.

 

[microchick]

I can honestly say that I haven't used Sevin in my coop for at least 5 years but I have used it in nesting boxes in the past simply because it was easy to treat that area of the coop using the powder.

The breeder I bought my birds from over 6 years ago now recommended using it once a year on the birds and in the coop. Then a year later recommended switching to permethrin.

I do still use Sevin on bad insect infestations on our garden plants. It's amazing that they say don't use it on chickens yet if you free range your chickens and use any insecticide there is a risk. Heck, there is a risk if you use one and walk through your grass afterwards.

Darned if you do and darned if you don't sort of thing.

Many things we use on our chickens due to a lack of qualified and affordable veterinary care for them aren't recommended for use in poultry. Yet when faced with either using them or dealing with a dead chicken or chickens, we do what we feel is right with the best intentions of helping them.