My broody has mites

[Avonshire]

OK I need help I think! I have a broody silkie. Her eggs are due to hatch any day now. I brought her inside on Monday to the garage in my brooder to keep her away from the other hen and roo in the coop. Well I noticed Monday night that her eye looked funny but did not investigate too closely trying not to bother her. This is the first time I have had a broody. Then Tuesday morning I went to check on her and noticed bugs EVERYWHERE. Little tiny bugs that look like mites. I dusted her with DE and treated her with ivermectin. She seemed to perk up a little because she would lift her head to look at me and you could not see the bugs crawling all over her like before but she has this black stuff all over her head and other places that I have been told are eggs(ewww gross!). So today I checked on her and can see the bugs all over her again. I can see them crawling on her face and just all over her. I dusted her with de but I am wondering if there is anything else I can do for her? I don't mind losing the eggs if I can save her or I can put the eggs in my bator if there is something that I can do to help/save her. Any suggestions???? Please!!!

 

[Johnn]

Post here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...n-hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread/16600, I am sure you will get a answer

 

[sumi]

I'm sorry to hear about your mite problem. I'd suggest dusting and treating her again and move her to a clean nest box with her eggs. When the chicks hatch dust them as well. Another good way to get rid of a serious mite infestation is to bath the hen in a mild flea/tick shampoo. Though that would be difficult at the moment. Maybe after her chicks hatched.

Feed the hen some high protein food like scrambled eggs to help give her a boost. Also if you got some multivitamins for poultry/chicks that you can add to her drink water?

Best of luck!

 

[Avonshire]

Oh thank you for the vitamin idea ... I do have some I can give her. I also have given her some boiled egg yesterday and today. I also bought some kitten food today for a protein boost for some other chickens whose eggs are disappearing and I am worried they might be eating them. Anyway thanks! I did cpean out her brooder. I put in new pine shavings. I did not put her box back in since the mites might have been active in it. I dusted with de. I did buy the sevin dust and some zodiac with pyrethrins in it to spray her with if I have to. I am going to see how she is in the morning.

 

[sumi]

Good luck and

 

[Avonshire]

I did not see any active mites today. I took her off the nest against her wishes and checked her over. She is very dirty and I can see the black stuff all over her(eggs?) but she seems better. I am taking it one day at a time.

 

[sumi]

If you can get the mites under control before the chicks hatch that would be great. And it sounds like you are

Good luck!

 

[Sazbaby]

The topical treatments won't kill the eggs, so you'll want to mark on your calendar when you treated and count out the number of days to re-treat to kill the mites that hatch from the eggs (can't remember, maybe 2 weeks?). We had a broody with a mite infestation that we didn't know about until she abandoned the nest and they were EVERYWHERE, really disgusting and creepy. Glad you caught it in time. Hope she will recover- you've gotten good suggestions on giving her a boost. Also, I've read that you don't need to treat the chicks themselves, treat the hen and the chicks get dusted when they're underneath her!

 

[sumi]

The topical treatments won't kill the eggs, so you'll want to mark on your calendar when you treated and count out the number of days to re-treat to kill the mites that hatch from the eggs (can't remember, maybe 2 weeks?). We had a broody with a mite infestation that we didn't know about until she abandoned the nest and they were EVERYWHERE, really disgusting and creepy. Glad you caught it in time. Hope she will recover- you've gotten good suggestions on giving her a boost. Also, I've read that you don't need to treat the chicks themselves, treat the hen and the chicks get dusted when they're underneath her!

That's what we did when we dusted our broodies. It was more for prevention, but I turned them upside down and coated their undersides and under their wings with dust. Tip: get someone to help you with this, chickens don't appreciate being turned on their back and when they struggle they can scratch you bad.

 

[Avonshire]

Well this morning I saw some crawling around her vent. I applied another drop of ivermectin near her vent and replaced the bedding. Then I dusted her with sevin dust and de. I am trying to be the least disruptive to her. I have checked the other chickens and they are all fine. I think when I moved her to the brooder and put new hay in her nest box with her I gave her the mites. I feel so bad about that! This is a learning experience!