Mites, lice and respiratory illness! Week one.

[Dollyparthen]

Hi all!

So, I got four 5month old hens last week. Two rir, one Sussex and a Plymouth rock.

Long story short, the Sussex has a huge mite and lice infestation. She's in day two of isolation.

Treated all hens with spot on ivermectin, a permethrin dip and have sprayed the bejesus out of the (brand new) coop.

The same day, one rir started breathing funny. I sent videos to the agrovet here (in the middle east so it's not easy access to a lot of meds and OTC stuff, no DE to be found). He thinks a respiratory infection so all hens on Doxycycline in the water supply. All hens drinking but I can't separate the rir as I've nowhere else to put her as the sussex is in the sick bay.

Also treating the sussex with ab in the water.

My concern is that the Sussex has stopped eating and is hardly drinking. Her poop looks like bile from what I've seen on here. Very lethargic, always sleeping, shedding those dead mites by the HUNDREDS.

I can't tempt her with any food, crushed, mashed, yogurt, she had a peck at scrambled egg and I succeeded with getting about 5ml of water in her with a syringe but I'm too scared of aspirating her to stick the syringe all the way like I've seen on the pics.

So my question really is how bad does a mite and lice infestation have to be before it kills a gal? I've literally had my girls less than a week and it's the first time I've had chickens. I feel like such a failure already. How long does it take them to perk up when the mites die off?

Any advice or reassurance is welcome, I can't believe I'm having sleepless nights over a hen but she's already my favourite haha.

Thank you.

 

[Teresa D]

can you see the dead mites what do they look like?

 

[Dollyparthen]

Yes there's small roundish grey and red mites and then there's longer thinner lice as well.

 

[Chicalina]

post some close up pics.

sorry you seem to have jumped into hennery with such bad luck! I would be tearing a strip off the person who sold them to me!

 

[Teresa D]

Hi all!

So, I got four 5month old hens last week. Two rir, one Sussex and a Plymouth rock.

Long story short, the Sussex has a huge mite and lice infestation. She's in day two of isolation.

Treated all hens with spot on ivermectin, a permethrin dip and have sprayed the bejesus out of the (brand new) coop.

The same day, one rir started breathing funny. I sent videos to the agrovet here (in the middle east so it's not easy access to a lot of meds and OTC stuff, no DE to be found). He thinks a respiratory infection so all hens on Doxycycline in the water supply. All hens drinking but I can't separate the rir as I've nowhere else to put her as the sussex is in the sick bay.

Also treating the sussex with ab in the water.

My concern is that the Sussex has stopped eating and is hardly drinking. Her poop looks like bile from what I've seen on here. Very lethargic, always sleeping, shedding those dead mites by the HUNDREDS.

I can't tempt her with any food, crushed, mashed, yogurt, she had a peck at scrambled egg and I succeeded with getting about 5ml of water in her with a syringe but I'm too scared of aspirating her to stick the syringe all the way like I've seen on the pics.

So my question really is how bad does a mite and lice infestation have to be before it kills a gal? I've literally had my girls less than a week and it's the first time I've had chickens. I feel like such a failure already. How long does it take them to perk up when the mites die off?

Any advice or reassurance is welcome, I can't believe I'm having sleepless nights over a hen but she's already my favourite haha.

Thank you.

Im not an expert at all I'm a new chicken mom too. My chicks have had apple cider vinegar in there water from day two of their lives. I'm not sure but I think that has helped us to keep infestations away also a dirt bath whenever possible helps. A great hour youtube video that helped me with almost all issues beginners guide to raising backyard chickens guildbrook farms. Well worth watching helped me get started and understand a lot.

 

[Dollyparthen]

Well I got up this morning and I mixed some raw egg with her food and SHES EATING! She looks a bit brighter too.

I was so happy I could have cried.

The one with the raspy breathing seems to have got abit better too. Do antibiotics get to work that fast?!

I emptied their coop of bedding and put newspaper under the roost so I could check their poop this morning and happy to say it seems to be healthy as well.

Thanks for the ACV tip too and the videos, I'll probably add a few drops to their water once their ab's are finished!

I did go back to the guy who found them for us (I can't stress enough how different it is over here to UK or states) he bought some others from the same farm and they're all starting to get sick. Of course the farmer doesn't want to know. Completely dismissed us. Nothing we can do here sadly. We paid $50 a bird (going rate for "fancy" breeds) and he's not interested in helping. I feel sorry for his other animals.

 

[Chicalina]

ACV has great gut health qualities, but treating a lice and mite infestation it does not.

You've done the right thing with the ivermectin and permethrin.

Can you rate him badly (and factually) on SM? Or contact your local version of Trading Standards or Dept Agriculture?

Glad she is perking up. You must be relieved.

 

[Dollyparthen]

So relieved. She's still taking a lot of breaks to lie down but I'm just so happy she's eating and drinking.
We had a mite issue with dogs a few years ago and I thought "it would be nice" to try and treat naturally. Absolutely learned my lesson and will never do it again. I feel like it's good for complementary therapy but definitely not a cure. Plus the Sussex was fading so fast i didn't want to faff!

After inspecting poops this morning I think they may possibly have tapeworm too. Tiny rice sized tubes in the poops.

Everything out here is basically word of mouth, theres no websites or instas. Trading standards doesn't exist and as for laws around animal health they're sketchy at best. But I'll be sure to be telling every chook person I know about this "breeder".

Talk about a crash course. Up til a week ago I'd never even held a chicken!!

 

[Dollyparthen]

Hmm after a second look and checking many many photos, what I thought might be tapeworms actually look like bits of feather shafts!

 

[Teresa D]

Well I got up this morning and I mixed some raw egg with her food and SHES EATING! She looks a bit brighter too.

I was so happy I could have cried.

The one with the raspy breathing seems to have got abit better too. Do antibiotics get to work that fast?!

I emptied their coop of bedding and put newspaper under the roost so I could check their poop this morning and happy to say it seems to be healthy as well.

Thanks for the ACV tip too and the videos, I'll probably add a few drops to their water once their ab's are finished!

I did go back to the guy who found them for us (I can't stress enough how different it is over here to UK or states) he bought some others from the same farm and they're all starting to get sick. Of course the farmer doesn't want to know. Completely dismissed us. Nothing we can do here sadly. We paid $50 a bird (going rate for "fancy" breeds) and he's not interested in helping. I feel sorry for his other animals.

I have heard you should always cook any eggs you feed your chickens so they don't want to eat their own. I use hard boiled chop it with a food chopper then add cottage cheese and make a mixture they love it!