itchy head?

[corancher]

She looks much better in the second video. Hope she continues to do well.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Quote:
Hi. I wasn't "covering" and I'm not sure what you mean. Like everyone else here, I'm not sure what could be wrong with your chick. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the post I was thinking of at the time I answered your email, or I would have simply directed you to a link. However, here's one:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28031

Here's another one I found, too, just now, probably caused by cedar bedding:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=45105

I would swear there was one, too, with something found in the ear canal, but I can't find it now, sorry. However, this apparently sometimes happens with chicks who later may grow out of it--so long as they're eating drinking and pooping, that's a good sign.

I did several searches for the post on Friday, but I was dealing with my own chicken emergency and was actually on my own time, not technically "at work"--however I work remotely from home and sometimes will check in my off hours to see if there's been an emergency email. That's when I saw yours.

I'm sorry, but sometimes we really just don't know what may be wrong, and we do give you the best advice we can. I often send people here for good advice, too. You sounded panicked and terribly worried--understandably. I know what that feels like. I was shaking from my own experience as I wrote you back. I watched your video with my hen in my arms, trying to soothe her.

I didn't want you to have to feel the way I was feeling--panicked and worried--any longer than necessary. I didn't want to leave you hanging, wondering all weekend where your response from My Pet Chicken was. I'm sorry I didn't have the answer, or the post to direct you to immediately, but I tried to give you the content of it from my recollection, and some sort of comfort that your chick may well grow out of it, and that My Pet Chicken would be there for you.

We're not just people who work at a hatchery because we happen to live near to one and it's a convenient job. We work at My Pet Chicken because we're all so obsessed with chickens we'd run barefoot down a mountain to save our hens from a bobcat.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=898850

Then we come back inside and try to help other people save their birds, too. We love chickens. It's not just a job.

 

[nursefusion]

Oh wow! Thank you Windy Ridge. I'm sorry you have a bird emergency. Did it conclude in the best possible way?

Thank you for responding -- and outside of work! You are my hero.

I got to spend a total of ten minutes with the chicks this weekend but tomorrow will get to monitoring closely.

Someone on local chick list offered to bring over Ivomec and dose her. I'm not sure if I should accept this offer. My doubt is probably a case of too many opinions. Most of the people on the local list think the problem is mites. But for a chick right out of the box to have mites??? I don't know. Is this possible?


I don't know if it was you, but someone at MPC mentioned a chicken who had head aches from a feather growing in her ear canal. Maybe that is the post you were thinking of.


It is a relief to see you posted here and are so kind about this. I feel like such a goober. I don't want to have panic but ....
It's like you said, I'm in a panic. I don't know what to do.


She does seem to be learning from the others. And so far the others have been kind to her - when I had them fenced apart they would nestle up to the fence to be together (and at the opposite end from the heat lamp so it looked like genuine kindness, not a need for warmth).

I'm using rice hulls for bedding and Poly-Vi-Sol in the water, medicated crumbles and the occasional yogurt treat.

Certainly, this will endear the chick to me forever. And, in the process of sitting with them so much because of her troubles, I have gotten to know them all much more and found the easter egger to be a big snuggler and the buff orpington to be a total pig willing to eat anything. I am grateful for that, at least. Plus, nothing is cuter than a miniature chick.

Thanks again! mypetchicken.com rulz!

 

[Windy Ridge]

When I post here it is not from a My Pet Chicken official perspective... so, having said that, I can tell you that I have used Ivomec Eprinex on my birds. It is not labeled for poultry, so it's nothing I could recommend in my work personna. However, what your chick has doesn't really sound like mites to me.

Not only is it extremely unlikely for a young chick to get infected with mites in a shipping box in the post office--that's why you buy from hatcheries rather than, say, flea markets or individuals--but when my own personal flock had a mite infestation it was not characterized by scratching. It's not like fleas, where a cat or dog may want to scratch all the time; scratching is just not one of the listed symptoms of mites, and it's not one I've ever observed, either. That's counter-intuitive, but seems to be true. Having mites generally makes them eat less and grow more slowly (and lay fewer eggs--that won't help you either). Severe infestations make them droopy. Their combs may be pale (though I think this might be difficult to tell in a brand new chick with a teeny comb.) If you get mites in your chickens, it is probably going to be carried in by wild birds or brought in by another mature chicken you have added to your flock.

I know what it's like to be in a panic about your birds, believe me. It is astounding how much you can care for them. I wsh I knew what your little baby's problem was, but I personally wouldn't dose them unless I saw signs of mites. You could see them (or their dirt) around the vent area, and in a severe infestation, you might even see them on your hands when you picked the chick up--ew! If it was a case of "I don't know if I have scaley leg mite or not, should I treat?", I'd say go for it. Treatment for leg mite consists of petroleum jelly on the legs, and is not likely to harm or stress them.

Eprinex is an antithelmintic, though, along with being a miticide. It's a strong medication--and they're so young. It stays in the body for a long time. If her problem is something else entirely that she's just getting over, the medicine could stress her, in my opinion. Because of those other threads (above), it just seems to me that sometimes a baby hatches with something incompletely wired, and within the first week or two, it seems to start firing the right way if everything else is working. I don't know why that is, and it seems to be pretty rare... but my hope is that everything will turn out okay for her and for you, both. If you think it's mites, I would use it, though. If it is mites, you should treat all your birds and change the bedding--clean everything. I don't think it's that, personally, but I'm just long-distance guessing.

Thanks, I think my emergency turned out okay, although we haven't caught the bobcat. It hasn't been back, yet, though. My bird is on antibiotics just in case. She's a Faverolles-Rhode Island Red mix (a Faverex, haha!) I hatched at home.

The Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas I have always found to be snugglers, and mine tend to want to roost on me at night. (That's a Wheaten Ameraucana on my shoulder in my avatar.) I haven't had Orpingtons or Australorps, but I have heard they're very friendly. It does tend to be the ones who get the slow start that we get attached to.

I hope your chick continues to get better.

 

[nursefusion]

Thank you so much for the unofficial reply as well as the official reply. You've done more any other company by far!

Status of the little one seems consistent. She's pecking around, hanging with her peeps. Looks like another tiny feather is coming in on both wings. She's just miniaturized. The feathers are still off her neck but the skin seems of good quality.

Here is video of her neck - and (hooray!) the buff orpington has her first stand on the roost:

(geeky music added to cover my astonished whoops of joy)


Are your feet better?

I feel like such a wimp after reading your posts on rescuing your pullet from a *bobcat* - jeeze

 

[Wynette]

She looks good! You know, I'm surprised at where the feathers are missing - it's clear on the back of her neck; I don't think they can reach back that far to scratch with their feet...are you sure someone didn't peck that little down off her? In any event, she sure looks good! As do the others!

 

[nursefusion]

Wynette, I think you may be on to something. She seems to be a bit more bare today than yesterday. She has not had any kicking fits.

Today I added a 'bungalow' (another box) to the brooder box and will add another tomorrow, keep extending the space so they have more to do and explore. I'll get something for them to chew on, too.

I'm taking the big two out for walks, so to speak -- give them some exercise at flapping wings and hopping from hand to hand.

The big two have so much energy.

Little Beatrice seems to really like hanging out with the others but the others get so animated they walk over her and bump into her and probably peck at her for whatever reason. I think more space and some entertaining food will help.

What do you think?

I read this post https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=191 on pecking order and another post in which you suggested hanging cabbage or squash for them to eat and engage with.

 

[Windy Ridge]

She does look much better--woohoo!

A whole cabbage (IMO) might work better for adults. The babies might enjoy a leaf, though?

I will say that one of the things I personally find most entertaining is to just put a white paper towel down on top of the shavings in the brooder and sprinkle chick starter on it. The dark sprinkles on the white really encourages them to come and eat, and they like to eat from the "ground." It's SO cute to see them scratch at the paper towel like little chickens, we wipe tears from our eyes.

Much better than TV.

I have also used a scrap of wood; sometimes they shred the paper towel, depending on how vigorously they scratch. (They will tend to be startled when you first out the towel or wood scrap in there, but the brave will get going and the rest will follow... )

 

[Windy Ridge]

PS Thanks for asking: my feet are better, but we still have the bobcat out there, so my poor chickens are locked up for now, and I've felt terribly lonely without them in the yard. I still have a couple bruises where I think I ran into branches of something on the way down the mountain, but the scratches are (more or less) gone.

I'll try to update my thread some time later, but I've been feeling all out-of-sorts about the whole thing.