One day old chick with mites

[JulieAGill]

I found a day old chick today that mommy literally ignored laying about four inches away from her while she was laying on her other chicks. I brought it in and got it I a box with a light on for warmth. It does appear to have little red mites though. A lot of them have crawled off but there may be more. I have garden and poultry dust, can I use it on the baby? Also, is it normal for it to sleep so much or hardly open its little eyes. I think it was laying out all night without protection from mom. The temp in the box is about 90 degrees. Any hotter then that and it tries to get away from the light. I have been giving it sugar water and it has probably taken in about a half a teaspoon since about 2:00. Any suggestions will help.

 

[krista74]

I don't have a lot of advice to offer you unfortunately, however if the chick does indeed have a red mite infestation after one day, it goes without saying that the other chicks and the rest of the hens in the coop probably also have them.

All the hens will need to be dusted for mites and lice, and of course everything will have to be cleaned thoroughly. Even the nest box materials will need to be replaced.

As far as using the powder on the chicks goes, I don't know if there is an age limit for it. Is there anything on the label? Maybe some more experienced people will be able to assist you on that one.

I'd be interested to know if you have seen signs of mites in your coop prior to this? Have your girls been scratching? Have you noticed lethargy, feather loss or bald irritated patches on their skin? I have heard mites are notoriously difficult to eradicate - I don't envy the work you have ahead of you.

My best wishes to you.

Krista

 

[JulieAGill]

This chick was from a neighborhood hen who laid her eggs in our yard. She was not in our coop. I have dusted my chickens with the powder. The wild hen was laying near this one on her other babies but not this one. I think she thought it was dead. Anyway, today I haven't really seen any mites on the rag it is laying on. I am going to a feed store tomorrow and will ask one of them there. Thank You.

 

[welasharon]

I don't know if you should or are supposed to use it on one that young but I would use the least amount possible as I do know for sure that the mites can kill it if left alone. Good luck!

 

[ten chicks]

Something else to try since this is a very young chick,is dust chick with wood ash and apply coconut oil under wings,around vent area. This process will probably have to be repeated to kill any eggs that have hatched.