Is this lice? Mites? Something else?

[FlyingNunFarm]

@FlyingNunFarm
 how do you use Elector PSP? I've never heard of it before (at least in my research on BYC, haha). It seems expensive ($150 when I googled it) but if nothing else works, I guess we might have to invest in it. I'll see how the Poultry Dust and Ivermectin work first though, since I already bought them. Did you try either of those when you had a lice infestation? If so -I'm assuming they didn't work for you? Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. It's really hard to know what to do in a situation like this, so it's nice to hear about how other people dealt with it successfully. 

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-use-elector-psp-to-treat-mites#post_17485894

That is a link to my whole experience. It's quite a story. LOL I have still been lice free since their one and only treatment with Elector PSP. I was hesitant to spend that much money too. I did find it a little cheaper on eBay. I tried sevin dust and virgin coconut oil but I recommend reading the whole story. It's long but I tried to be thorough in its telling. Feel free to ask any questions you may still have. Good luck!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Any luck with your chicken?

 

[poppyflock]

Thanks for checking up on us! Sprinkles seems to be feeling a bit better, so that's a relief. I've tried holding her and looking closely to see if I can see any lice (louse?), but she freaks out if we poke and prod her too much. Her head shaking has pretty much completely stopped, so that's a really good sign. When I first posted about her on here, she was shaking her head ALL the time.

She's still underweight and sickly looking, but does seem to be improving. Today I left the gate to their enclosure open....usually if I did that, she wouldn't notice and would just stand around by herself looking fluffed up and sleepy. But she was out in the yard exploring! So that was a cute thing to see.

I've always felt like she was extra sickly and pale looking - however, she's a Speckled Sussex so I think it's normal for them to have pale-looking skin on their faces and legs. She's my only SS so I don't have much to compare her to.

@FlyingNunFarm , I read the story you posted above last week, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner! Thanks for sharing your experience, it was really helpful to read about your experience and what worked for you! I'm hoping the Poultry Dust and Permethrin do the trick. I also administered topical Ivermectin pour-on a few days ago. If I still have lice after all that, I might just have to get Elector PSP.

Here are some pictures of her that I took today. I'm still a little worried about her. Her left wing is more droopy than her right. And her left eye looks "weird" compared to her other one. While she seems to have more energy, she still loses her balance and stumbles sometimes. So that's strange and worrisome.

Here are some pictures of her that I took today. You can see her sorta-droopy left wing, and her funky looking left eye compared to her right eye:

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

She is rather pale looking. I know she doesn't like to be looked over but I would check for signs of molting. He neck feathers don't seem full and that could also be why her one wing looks funny. Even if this isn't a normal molt time for her the stress from mites could get her into a small molt. That could also be why she's not really liking being handled. They get pretty sensitive during a molt. I currently have 2 girls with no tails. They look pathetic. I checked them over the other night and just holding them for a few minutes I had handfuls of feathers.

 

[poppyflock]

That's really interesting you say that...is it possible for a pullet to molt when they're only like 16 weeks old? I noticed the lack of neck feathers today actually! That's a new thing for her. I was wondering if it had to do with the application of ivermectin. It seems like the feathers are thinning right where I applied it. Her tail also seems to be missing some feathers as well. She's spent some time with our older chickens today and yesterday so I thought maybe someone went after her and pulled out some festhers....since she's the smallest and an "easy target". But I was home most of the day and never witnessed her getting picked on...so maybe it IS an early molt?

Her wings have been a little wonky and limp for at least a month...for a long time they were both droopy and she looked like she was carrying around two REALLY heavy wings.

As far as her comfort level being handled, I brought her home when she was maybe, 8 weeks old, so she's never been really comfortable being handled by people. She's actually ok with being picked up usually, but just gets worked up when we start poking at her feathers and what not.

If you do think that an early molt at her age is possible, what are other signs of molting I should be on the lookout for?

Also, I just want to say THANK YOU!! For all your help. It'a really nice to talk to someone who's been through something similar!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I would think at 16 weeks she would be getting her adult feathers. I got 9 younger birds this year at 3 different ages. My coop has looked like a pillow fight for months. They seem to continually get new feathers as they grow. I liken it to getting new clothes for kids. If they didn't get new bigger feathers they would be mostly naked. The ivermectin could have caused her some problems. Just like people they are all different to what they tolerate. The other chickens could be picking on her too. That's always an option. You may not see it happening.

I look over my birds at night once they go to roost. They are calmer and stationary so easier to catch and hold onto. I use what I call the football hold. I turn them so their head is under my arm and I can use my elbow to hold them against my body. Let's face it you normally check their butt for signs of health. LOL It will work if you turn them around too. If you can look at her neck feathers. If it is a molt or just a loss of feathers you should see the new ones coming in. Being young she may not have really started to get the red to her comb. I still think she looks a little paler then she should.

I would try to boost her with scrambled eggs and wet feed. I know another person suggested things to give her too. You can check her crop at night too to give you and idea of how much she is eating on her own. I had a girl that didn't seem to ever go to bed with a full crop. I was so worried about her. In the end it was a phase she went through. I think she was changing over from a pullet to a hen if that makes sense. Once her comb started to turn red she had a full crop every night.

You are welcome for any help I may be able to give. I'm no expert. I think we all learn something new about chickens more frequently then we realize. They are all so different. Each chicken comes with a new set of questions to ask. Keep updating how things go. Good luck with her. I hope she turns around and really starts to feel better soon.

 

[poppyflock]

Hi guys, I just wanted to give you an update on Sprinkles since you've been so helpful with everything. Unfortunately she took a turn for the worse earlier this week, and passed away Tuesday night. I sent her remains to the WSU Avian Health Lab for a necropsy because I figured there must be more going on than just lice since she never really improved after I treated the lice. I just got the report back from the lab and it looks like she was suffering from Marek's disease. So that's a bummer to hear. I think the lice must have found her an easy target because she wasn't very active and didn't have the energy to dust bathe or clean herself much.

I'm surprised it was Marek's because the place I bought her from said all their chicks were vaccinated. But vaccinations are never 100% so I guess we just got unlucky. I'm thinking all my other chickens are carriers now too, or have at least been exposed since they have spent a bit of time together here and there. I'm not sure if the 4 older ones were vaccinated or not, but they haven't shown symptoms so I'm crossing my fingers that they'll all be OK.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

So sorry to hear this. I'm glad you sent her for the necropsy. It gave you answers. I hope everyone else in the flock continues to be healthy. Losing one is never easy.