Mites and swollen purple chest!!!

[scalci]

My 7 year old hen appeared to have an impacted crop for the last 2 weeks. I have been trying the stool softener method and only giving her water and some apple sauce or yogurt. It seems to have gone down some since I started with the stool softener and massages. This is actually when I noticed the mites all over her. I immediately gave her a DE dust bath and they have definitely decreased in numbers but still present. I’m really scared something serious is wrong. Her behavior, energy level and appetite are all normal, but something isn’t right. Could this be bruising from the daily massages over the last 4-5 days?? One of the pics looks like a more normal skin color, that was taken a few days ago.

 

[coach723]

For the mites you are going to need a product with permethrin in it, DE isn't going to get rid of them. You need to treat the birds and the coop, clean out the coop and discard all bedding and spray all the nooks and crannies. You will need to do at least 2 or 3 times at weekly intervals to get all the mites and any eggs that hatch. Spray works best in the coop, the birds you can spray or use powder (poultry dust). Mites will often find a bird that is ill or weak with some thing else, you need to check every one of your birds.
For the crop, I have never bruised a crop area by doing crop massage, so I don't know. At 6 years old it's possible that she has something else going on internally that is causing the crop problems. Reproductive problems and cancers are not uncommon. You can do what you are doing and hope it improves. If you have a vet that see's birds then an xray might help determine if she has something going on farther down in the digestive tract.
Here are some common products to use for mites, there are many brands, some are concentrated so you mix them with water, some are ready to use:

 

[kissezmychicken]

I agree 100% you must use the dust and spray.. Get rid of them completely.. They are nasty..