Help Needed - Fixer Uppers ...

[J.D]

Hi guys, I recently lost my flock to a loose dog (very very sad) the woman who owned the dog gave me some money to get new hens so I found some orpingtons for sale.

They are good stock as they were used for breeding but the woman no longer wanted to breed them so they were not being kept in great conditions. The animal lover in me overlooked all of the problems I could see that they had, and bought them anyway, because who doesn’t love a fixer upper!?

But a few weeks in and I need some help haha ...

A few of them have really bad scaly leg might, the roo especially. I’ve been using Nettex spray lotion on them once a week but I’m wondering if there is anything else I can do to help them?

They also all have lice, which I have dealt with before but any tips and tricks would be appreciated. They all seem to have very messy vent feathers but I think that may be down to the lice?

Lastly two of the hens have bold patches on their neck?? And I think Penny Lane is now starting to molt but I don’t know if it’s down to the lice or if she’s just molting. I will add photos below and ANY advice, tips or tricks would be super appreciated ...

(I’m also going to worm them this week too)


Bold patch on neck ...


Roos scaly feet


Penny lanes feathers, coming away on her back and neck.

 

[getaclue]

I like to dust with permethrin garden dust for mites/lice, or sevin. DE may be a preventative, but too many have had a failure with it when there is an actual infestation. Spray the coop with permethrin spray too. Dust, and spray every 7 days for 3 weeks, and it should clear it up.
For scaly leg mites, get a good size plastic storage container, and add cheap cooking oil. Immerse their feet, and legs into the oil. Do this daily for about a week, then about every 3 days. In 2 weeks, they should be cleared up, unless it's really bad. Once a month, do their legs in the oil, and that should keep them scaly leg mite free.
The bald spot could be due to a rooster mating, or mites/lice. You'll know more about it after you get them mite/lice free, and away from any roosters.

 

[Eggcessive]

Most feed stores sell permethrin 10% spray in pints or quarts, and the concentrate can be diluted in water for many gallons of spray, used in a bottle hand sprayer for the chickens, or a garden sprayer. Permethrin can be used at least twice, 10 days apart, to first treat the live lice, then the newly hatched eggs before they have a chance to breed. Check at 10 day intervals to look for more live lice or eggs.

Clean out your bedding, spray, and replace it with fresh.

If worming, Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or Equine Paste, are very good to use. We can give you dosage for either. Good luck.

 

[getaclue]

The reason I suggested the permethrin dust, instead of spay for the birds, is due to cold weather. It's not good to get them wet when it's cold out. This is what I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Voluntary-Pu...73782&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=permethrin+dust

To spray the coop, I use this, and mix it in a sprayer:
https://www.amazon.com/Durvet-31031...D=41HvQk6aqrL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

 

[getaclue]

I've used both Valbazen, and SafeGuard liquid goat wormer. Both are good.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with getaclue that the spray is not good to use if it is cold. Dust is better then. The usual amount of diluted liquid spray used is about 1/2 ounce per chickens. Lice affect either the area below the vent (most common type,) or the area around neck and under wings, so you only need to treat the specific area.