Hen pecking herself til she bleeds. HELP?

[lilypad]

Sorry, I could only go on personal experience, I had a redmite infestation this year in the "big girls" and "little girls" coops, all I used was DE to clear them out, worked wonderfully for me though.

I didn't give advice on other products as I've never had to use them (apart from the smoke bombs as I've had friends use them with great success) - but I'm sure purpletree23 knows what she is talking about

Best of luck, let us know how you get on!

 

[purpletree23]

Lillypad NEVER be sorry for giving information that is different from some one else's information. Stick to your guns and don't sell yourself short. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for if you gave honest, straight from the heart, best of your ability information.

When I had mites I had to use a pesticide. Thought I'd have to go nuclear but I finally got a handle on them. DE wouldn't touch them, I think the mites laughed at me when I put that down. I guess my mites were the State of New Hampshire mites that live through the heat of the summer and -26 degrees below zero wind chill factor in the winter. Tough and ornery.

 

[lilypad]

Lillypad NEVER be sorry for giving information that is different from some one else's information. Stick to your guns and don't sell yourself short. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for if you gave honest, straight from the heart, best of your ability information.

When I had mites I had to use a pesticide. Thought I'd have to go nuclear but I finally got a handle on them. DE wouldn't touch them, I think the mites laughed at me when I put that down. I guess my mites were the State of New Hampshire mites that live through the heat of the summer and -26 degrees below zero wind chill factor in the winter. Tough and ornery.

Thank you! I just didn't want to feel like I was giving advice that wouldn't have worked.

That's a good point though - I wonder if mites over here are different?
I know they breed like nothing else but this is the 2nd time I've got them and it's just took a scrub, DE all over, and then dusting the chickens every day for the next week to ensure they were all gone I hate the bloody things, makes me so itchy when I find one on my hands when I'm cleaning up, can't help but think what the poor chickens are feeling.
Over here we usually only get mite infestations in Summer

 

[Three Silkies]

Thank you both so much for your advice. I scrubbed out the run, removed all the bedding and scattered Poultry Dust (active ingredient Maldison) all over the soil, hoping they would get it into their feathers dust bathing. I also sprayed all the timber with a spray that has Pyrethrin. Before I did this, I put my hand on the soil & it was immediately COVERED in mites. Afterwards I put my hand down and only one mite, so seems to be working. But I can't actually catch the hen (and chicks) to give them a proper dusting (tried at bedtime). Today my hen looks much worse. She has 4 patches where she has pecked out the feathers & is bleeding (chest, back & both wings). I feel terrible. I tried calling vets all day to see if there was one who would come out and help me treat her bloody patches and treat them all properly for the mites. I hate that my pets are suffering because I can't do a simple thing like catch them & hold them still to treat them properly and stop them suffering. I just don't know what else to do. I have just put heaps more Poultry Dust on the floor and am hoping they will dust bathe and that will work.

 

[Three Silkies]

Everyone on here seems to find it easy to catch chickens (and then keep them still while holding them). I got silkie chickens because they're supposed to be friendly. Mine have never let me touch them. (I got 3 "hens" and two turned out to be really vicious roosters. I got rid of the roosters after the chicks hatched. I have held the chicks twice - once to move them downstairs & once to baste them in olive oil, but they haven't let me catch them since. And my hen won't let me get near her. I'm beginning to think the kind thing to do would be give them to someone who can look after them properly because I don't seem able to.

 

[Three Silkies]

We are going into Spring here, so the weather is heating up.

Thank you! I just didn't want to feel like I was giving advice that wouldn't have worked.

That's a good point though - I wonder if mites over here are different? 
I know they breed like nothing else but this is the 2nd time I've got them and it's just took a scrub, DE all over, and then dusting the chickens every day for the next week to ensure they were all gone  I hate the bloody things, makes me so itchy when I find one on my hands when I'm cleaning up, can't help but think what the poor chickens are feeling.
Over here we usually only get mite infestations in Summer 

 

[Sjisty]

If you go into her coop at night after dark, you should be able to catch her.

 

[lilypad]

I've never heard of redmite living outside the coop/in soil, although I guess when she's dust bathing she must be rubbing them off.
I've used frontline for cats (1 drop at the back of their neck) to get rid of lice which got rid of them by the next day, worked so well, but I'm not sure if it works on mites.

I have a silkie X who was VERY skittish and flighty when she arrived, I spent a lot of time in the run giving mealworms and after a few days she would take them out of my hands, after a few weeks I could pick her up, now she's just like my other girls and so friendly. It just takes time and patience

She might be being extra protective of her chicks at the moment too. I would just spend as much time as you can with them, and let them come to you x

 

[Three Silkies]

Thanks so much for your great advice. I have found someone who knows how to handle chooks to help me catch them & dust them - but I'm not sure what to dust the mother hen with given she is covered in bloody sores? I have both food grade DE and also Poultry Dust (active ingredient Maldison). Do you think it will be OK to use this on her? Won't it sting (and maybe infect) the open wounds?

 

[lilypad]

I would put something like sudocreme over the wounds first, it'll help them heal