Help Our Chicken Seems To be Sick?

[Michael Apple]

Thanks but thats terribad news as I have auto waterers throughout the entire backyard that are supplied by a 55 gallon rain barrel. Maybe Hug-A-Chicken needs to become crate chicken for a while since none of the other birds seem ill. I will go ahead and use safe-guard for her tomorrow. I do have some vitamin powder for the water which I can also give her. Would dusting her with wood ash be a bad thing even if I don't see mites?

You''ll have to either treat the whole rain barrel or shut it off and use single source waterers. If you don't have too many birds, 1 gallon screw top waterers are pretty cheap.

I wouldn't use wood ash to dust your birds. Wood ash is a good additive to dusting areas outside on the ground, but I wouldn't depend on it for getting rid of mites/lice if they are present. I never use dusts anymore due to the mess and airborne dust. Some folks use a cloth sack, apply dust inside, put the birds body inside with it's head outside the bag, and fluff the permethrin carbaryl dust inside. That is too much hassle in my opinion.

I use Permethrin or Rabon sprays. Just make sure whatever product you use, it is labeled for use on poultry also. Permectrin II is a popular one and is safe. The natural ones like Poultry Protector will only give mites something to swim in for awhile, then continue with their blood sucking activities. I part feathers below the vent, along the center back ( avoid the oil gland at the base of the tail feathers), underside, and spritz those areas. I do it at night with a head lamp so the birds are relaxed, and set them back on the roosts after I treat them.

 

[Michael Apple]

Most people want to treat all chickens at the same time with Corid to prevent having sick birds coming down with symptoms at different times. Wood ash is good to add to a dust bath with dirt and sand for prevention, but it's kind of irritating to the lungs used straight. The problem with wood ash is that it won't kill mites right away for an infestation as permethrin liquid or dust and sevin dust will. I know a lady who had to use it every day for weeks to get rid of mites. If you don't see mites, try checking at night with a flashlight.

Yup. It would be best to do a flock treatment with Corid since Coccidiosis is in the environment. At 5-6 months of age, they are still building immunity.

 

[SilksterTN]

Should I also treat the ducks and turkeys with Corid who share a free range area but not the same coop?

 

[Michael Apple]

Should I also treat the ducks and turkeys with Corid who share a free range area but not the same coop?

That is good you have chickens housed separately from the ducks and turkeys, but ranging them in the same area can still present problems: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/212/a-health-program-for-small-and-specialty-poultry-flocks

Avoid Mixing Types. Keep wild or tame waterfowl, cage or pet birds, ratites, and any other exotic birds on separate premises from chickens, turkeys and game birds. If this is not possible, maintain in separated, nonconnecting pens. It is important to raise all species separately, if possible, to minimize the spread of disease.

Wild waterfowl are reservoirs of avian influenza and other diseases; mixed-species poultry operations can serve as a catalyst for virus mutation and increase the risk for disease outbreaks. Just as chickens and turkeys should not be kept together, so should web-footed birds (ducks, geese and other waterfowl) be kept away from non-web-footed birds such as chickens, turkeys, game birds, etc.

 

[SilksterTN]

Permethrin comes up in a TSC search in many forms. If I do need to spray them, what product do you use and what strength?

 

[Michael Apple]

Permethrin comes up in a TSC search in many forms. If I do need to spray them, what product do you use and what strength?

I just looked on their site. Your most effective and economical product would be this:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...livestock--premise-spray-8-fl-oz?cm_vc=-10005
Even if mites are not a problem now, you'll be glad to keep something like this on hand. A pump garden sprayer for premises, and a hand held squeeze sprayer for the individual birds will make a little of this go a long way. Remember, if you have to treat birds for mites/lice, that means you must remove litter/dust from coops, spray down floors, roosts, nest boxes, and all cracks and crevices, then put in new shavings. i do that about every 3 months and never have mite or louse problems. Scaly leg mites are another story though. They are almost microscopic, and paying attention to condition of leg scales, treating them with Nu-Stock if needed, and treating roosts once a month keeps them from getting out of control.

 

[SilksterTN]

Awesome ! Thanks. I will add that to the list. Sounds like a good idea to treat the flock and coops periodically?

 

[Michael Apple]

Awesome ! Thanks. I will add that to the list. Sounds like a good idea to treat the flock and coops periodically?

You're welcome. Yes. Good diet, attention to birds' physical condition, good ventilation, a dry coop environment, and good management all around prevents many problems from becoming epidemic.

 

[SilksterTN]

We built this during the mid summer when it was a zillion degrees LOL They are given access to a huge fenced in yard during the day to free range. Note: The branches have been replaced with 2 x 4's

You can see the 3 auto waterers mounted on the inside of the coop in the pic. We are going to bring Hug-A-Chicken inside and monitor her until we can round up supplies from TSC before treating everyone for anything.

 

[WildThang]

Thank You all for all the helpful info you have given! Though do any of you have a idea of what kind of chicken she might be? Brown egg layer of course, in the video it shows her feet. All that. Again thank you all!