Mites on top of chicken feathers? Hen not doing well

[HippieAtHeart]

So I’ve had a hen that over the past 5 days has been sick to the point where she isolated herself and is pretty thin, and not really walking well. I got her and other hens from a family member so I’m unsure her age, maybe 4/5 years old. At first I thought it was old age then discovered mites on her. I treated and got rid of mites last year on all my chickens but alas they’ve returned. Since it’s winter here I’ve used permethrin dust to powder on her since Saturday and when I go to check on her there are a ton of mites sitting on top of her feathers in clear view. I don’t know if this means they are trying to avoid the powder or what? They don’t move, but when I brushed them off her they were on my hand and moving so not dead as far as I can tell. I’m going to clean out coop and spray with spinosad I guess since it’s going to be fairly warm out the next few days. Any thoughts about the mites or any suggestions for helping her recover?

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Also so far I’ve given water with electrolytes and fed scrambled eggs, raisins, and tuna. Her crop fills during day and is empty in morning when I check her.

 

[MixedFlock23]

I’d bring her inside & give her a bath. I have given several hens/chicks/pullets baths before. Completely submerge her except for her head, like giving a dog a flea dip. I’ve found that dish soap kills mites. Let her soak for a few minutes after soaping her up. Rinse then blow dry. Keep her inside overnight maybe. Since she’s thin, I’d deworm her & see if that helps get weight on her. No other symptoms (respiratory or weird poop)?
Be careful with the raisins. They can cause renal failure.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

I’d bring her inside & give her a bath. I have given several hens/chicks/pullets baths before. Completely submerge her except for her head, like giving a dog a flea dip. I’ve found that dish soap kills mites. Let her soak for a few minutes after soaping her up. Rinse then blow dry. Keep her inside overnight maybe. Since she’s thin, I’d deworm her & see if that helps get weight on her. No other symptoms (respiratory or weird poop)?
Be careful with the raisins. They can cause renal failure.

I’ll try to give her a bath to see if that helps any, thanks for the suggestion. I didn’t realize about the raisins, I’ll probably stop that, she was more interested in eggs anyway. What do you use to deworm a chicken? She seems fine respiratory wise, she didn’t do it today or yesterday I don’t recall, but before that she was “vomiting” up water, it did not have a putrid smell so I think it was that she wasn’t drinking and then drank the water I gave her. Her poop was normal, I noticed one yesterday that was liquid and green though

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I treated and got rid of mites last year on all my chickens but alas they’ve returned. Since it’s winter here I’ve used permethrin dust to powder on her since Saturday and when I go to check on her there are a ton of mites sitting on top of her feathers in clear view. I don’t know if this means they are trying to avoid the powder or what? They don’t move, but when I brushed them off her they were on my hand and moving so not dead as far as I can tell. I’m going to clean out coop and spray with spinosad I guess since it’s going to be fairly warm out the next few days. Any thoughts about the mites or any suggestions for helping her recover?

I would treat her with the Spinosad (Elector PSP) now. Just bring her in where it's fairly warm until it dries.
Mites live in the coop so getting it cleaned out and treated should be helpful as well.

I would offer her normal balanced poultry feed and some eggs or beef liver to give her a boost. If you have Poultry Cell that would be good to give a direct dose a couple of times a week as well.

If she's an older hen, she may have other issues going on that's weakening her. Getting a fecal float to see if worms or coccidiosis are problem in addition to the mites would be a good idea. Sometimes older hens also have reproductive problems too - is she laying any eggs?

 

[HippieAtHeart]

I would treat her with the Spinosad (Elector PSP) now. Just bring her in where it's fairly warm until it dries.
Mites live in the coop so getting it cleaned out and treated should be helpful as well.

I would offer her normal balanced poultry feed and some eggs or beef liver to give her a boost. If you have Poultry Cell that would be good to give a direct dose a couple of times a week as well.

If she's an older hen, she may have other issues going on that's weakening her. Getting a fecal float to see if worms or coccidiosis are problem in addition to the mites would be a good idea. Sometimes older hens also have reproductive problems too - is she laying any eggs?

I’m thinking she may have some other issues too. I honestly wonder if the mites are causing her to be ill or because she was ill the mites brought her down. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t lay, hasn’t since we got her, that is unless it’s so infrequently I just don’t notice. The other Orpington hen that looks similar to her, I’m guessing from the same hen and rooster based off knowledge of chickens, is laying consistently. It’s so hard when you inherited chickens to really know anything though

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I’m thinking she may have some other issues too. I honestly wonder if the mites are causing her to be ill or because she was ill the mites brought her down. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t lay, hasn’t since we got her, that is unless it’s so infrequently I just don’t notice. The other Orpington hen that looks similar to her, I’m guessing from the same hen and rooster based off knowledge of chickens, is laying consistently. It’s so hard when you inherited chickens to really know anything though

Mites will kill a chicken.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Mites will kill a chicken.

I just don’t understand why they are so terrible on her compared to my other chickens. Last summer when they had them none of them got this bad and I noticed them because there were mites on the eggs. This time noticed because of her. I seriously have decided on doing bimonthly checks of my chickens for mites and other issues aside from the time I spend with them daily because I just feel this is going to be an ongoing battle.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Mites will kill a chicken.

How long does it normally take a chicken to regain strength after being knocked down by mites like this do you know? It seems she is putting up a bit more of fight when I go to move her if I need to care for her and has an appetite, she just isn’t walking around hardly at all still with her bum down.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to know how long it will take her, a lot depends on if the mites were the only issue.
I would definitely give her a boost with the vitamins, see that she's eating her normal feed and not a lot of treats.