Mites: How to handle the dead mites on a sick bird, should she be washed?

quiche

In the Brooder
7 Years
Dec 7, 2012
24
0
22
I am having my first experience with mites in my coop. I have dusted the whole flock with a Permethrin powder. and I am in the process of sanitizing the coop.

One of my hens is so heavily infected that she has become anemic and I have separated her from the flock. The live mites moved to her face and her eyes were almost swollen shut this morning, so the feed store recommended that I use the poultry protector spray on a cloth to help remove some of the mites from her face and eyes. Which I did. Now she is covered in what looks to be dead mites. I can't tell how many are dead and how many are still living. If she survives this ordeal I'll need to continue to treat her but with the volume of dead mites in her feathers how can I tell if I'm getting ahead of the problem? Honestly it is so bad I feel like I should cull her and take her out of her misery, I will be very surprised if she survives in the condition that she is in.

With these factors in mind (poor condition of the bird, heavy infestation) is there a way to wash her so that I can determine if the mites are dead or alive? Please also give some recommendations for keeping her warm and dry, keeping in mind it is winter and she is not in the coop with the rest of my hens.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
 
We had this too!
we fed scrambled egg, yoghurt, meal worms, sunflower seeds, corn, anything that would build her up! and we put powder on our birds weekly for 10weeks, then every other week.
We had to burn our house and start again. Then the new house got it, so I power washed it, and I also spray it every two weeks, this seems to be keeping them at bay!
ours did bounce back. you want to feed her anything that will fight her anaemia, so high protein.
hope shes ok
Lindsay
 
We had them and got rid of them using ivermectin on the advice of our vet. Can't remember the dose but you will find it with a search on here. We had to apply the drops to the skin at the back of the neck. In 2 days they were gone. Then she said to mix up fidos liquid flea wash as per it's instructions and spray the whole coop. Never had a problem with them since.

With the dead ones I would have thought once dead they would drop off as they would no longer hang on. I wonder if they are dead of just dazed or dormant?
 
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Keep her inside where it's warm, 80-85 degrees is deal. Do *not* bath her! If she's not drinking or eating she needs to be tube fluids, then fluids and baby bird food, but only once you have her temperature stabilized. Tubing a hypothermic bird can kill it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

-Kathy
 
appps,

Was there a period of time after the ivermectin treatment that you could not consume the eggs?

Our vet recommended insecticide powder but it doesn't seem to be heavy duty enough for the level of infestation on the hen that I have sequestered. I'll try and call him again tomorrow to see if he thinks we should "bring out the big guns".
 
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Poultry dust and 5% Sevin powder have always worked on *any* mite/lice infestation here, so you might want to try that.

-Kathy
 
I have discovered the same on my hen she is covered but she is sat on eggs which have just started to hatch so what can I use that's safe for her and the baby chicks many thanks
 
1. Is Poultry Dust the same as DE (diatomaceous earth) or is that the Permethrin? If so, I have used DE before in the coop bedding but not directly on the birds. How often can I dust them with DE? Should I use the same method as the application of the Permethrin, fill a stocking with dust and "powder puff them upside down focusing on the vent area and under the wings?

2. Can I treat with Sevin (Carbaryl) immediately following the Permethrin? I have to wait a week to dust them again with the Permethrin and if todays results are any indicator, I do not think it was extremely successful. What is the reapplication time frame for Sevin, i.e. how long between treatments?

3. Their poor eyes and respiratory tracts from all this dusting. Is that a concern with multiple treatments of a dust? It sure irritated my eyes when it got past the goggles!

Thanks again, I will follow up with my vet before I take further action but it's good to call the vet with specific questions so you get specific answers.
 
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Can I use the product above (has an active ingredient listed as Permethrin which I just treated them with a different brand) in combination with Sevin or are they two different remedies? Is there any harm in doing both at the same time (or in my case within 2 days of each other)?

Is the poultry dust meant to have immediate results or do you need to wait a few days to see a significant decrease in live mites?

Thanks
 
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