hen shaking head

[momofchicks]

I've got a 20 week old EE that walks around constantly shaking her head. Could it be like a might in her ear or something? I will try to video it tomorrow and post it. But it's like she just keeps shaking her head to get something out or something. Very strange anybody got any ideas?

 

[kidcody]

Good chance of ear mites, look in both ears you should beable to tell. Healthy ears look clean.

 

[momofchicks]

Quote:
What do I do if there are ear mites? I have poultry dust here, do I put that on her, or do I get that stuff DE? Thanks

 

[kidcody]

Ear mites are very hard to get rid of in chickens, cats, dogs etc. What we recommend here at the clinic is Iveremctrin pour on, it should be at your local feed store (for cattle). Just place one drop between the feathers on top of the shoulder/neck area next to the skin. Just like when flea drops are placed on your dog and cat. Ivermectrin has to be absorbed through the skin. Do not use more then every 30 days! For ear mites repeat in 30 days. That way you are stopping the life cycle when the eggs hatch. But you must treat the living space also! Ivermectrin also kills worms your chicken may have. Make sure you do not consume eggs for 14 days (some people go 21 days). Good luck!

 

[MrSoCal]

What about Verm-X ?

It says here that Ivermectin is too powerful for poultry, or I would have gone for it because Horse Wormer Paste 1.87% Ivermectin By Horse Health is only $4.95 on eBay.

Is diatomaceous earth effective for mites? How about dusting the coop and dust bath areas with ashes?

 

[kidcody]

No you should never use Ivermectrin paste horse wormer for poultry. Ivermectrin has not been approved for chicken but there are a lot of different medications not approved that work well for different animals because of the similar chemical make up of the animals. Ivermectrin is safely used in cats and dogs too. The reason I was recommending Ivermectrin for ear mite infestation is because it works fast and its simple to use. I think Verm x is great if you don't have a problem with worms. but it doesn't work on mites. I my self will do every thing possible to have a more natural approach. But some times you have to use what works and what is best for the animals to get them back to being healthy. DE is another more natural approach, but once again it isn't that affective as Ivermectrin. DE is great for maintenance use but I certainly wouldn't depend on it solely.

 

[dawg53]

Use a couple of drops of vegetable oil in an eyedropper to each ear to smother and kill ear mites. Visually inspect your EE for lice/mites especially around the vent area. If you see any, use sevin dust on her. Then you'll have to inspect the rest of your chickens as well. You will also have to dust the inside of their house, roosts and nests and repeat everything again in 10 days to kill larva hatched from eggs.

 

[MrSoCal]

Alright... so my one and only hen adopted some 6 weeks ago has been shaking her head since I found her and although I gave her a few days of Sulmet (for sneezing and shell-less eggs) + dusting with DE + two washes, she kept shaking her head and scratching the ears in the evenings before going to bed.

Today, I followed some online tips on how to spot lice and mites and found many eggs underneath the feathers. Thanks to Youtuber's How to Powder a Chicken, I used DE to dust up as described, then added some ashes to dust bath area (which already contained DE, but it didn't help before).

Just like the hen in the video, she did not like being held upside-down, and it was a little hard on me as well to place her in this position, but tonight was the first time she got a rest. No shaking at all.