Only a single hen left, and mites issue!

[ZazasMom]

Hi chicken lovers,

We sadly found ourselves left with only a single hen from our initial flock of 5 She’s a 9-months old Barred Rock named Zaza, and we lost her girlfriends to a predator - I’d be interested in your opinion on who did it. It must have happened during the afternoon. They were free ranging and we live right near the woods. We have the usual predators here in northern RI, but I naively thought that they’d be safe(-ish) as long as they’re back in the coop by dusk. I don’t think Zaza was near the other girls when the attack happened, as she is completely unharmed. Later that night I found one of the Barred Rocks dead, feathers missing around the neck, and neatly covered with leaves. Next to it a bunch of Buff Orpington feathers and a little blood, but no body. No sign of the other two.

My more important questions are about our next actions though. We just discovered mites on Zaza and in her outside feeder. I ordered Elector PSP after watching a few videos from the Chicken Chick. Until it arrives I’m wondering if we should wash her butt every night with baby shampoo for relief? How much does it bother her? She also has poopy butt feathers. She seems okay, still laying every day, but her comb is a bit pale, and her legs are a bit scaly too. Do I put the Elector PSP on her legs too? How do I treat the outside run? I’ve been putting the dirty pine shavings from the coop into the run, and we added some straw for entertainment on snowy days. I probably want to take all that out completely? The coop will be emptied and sprayed, too. Can we wait a few days to treat the coop/run, as long as she is treated? I do have DE at hand but heard bad things about it and wasn’t planning on using it (?)

Once she is treated from the mites, we think the best plan is to give her to our friends with a flock of 20 hens and 2 roosters. Our friends have experience, but we haven’t discussed details yet. I trust that they know what they’re doing.... How soon after the Elector PSP treatment could we move her over? Should she still quarantine? Can she be alone for another 1-2 weeks or should we hurry it up some more? Unfortunately we’re all working during the day and have no one to keep her company. I’m worried that she will deteriorate from being alone and sad Also, night temps will be in the teens soon, and I’m not sure if she will produce enough body heat on her own? The coop is 4’x4’.

Sorry this question is so long. I appreciate any input you can give!! Thank you so much in advance!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Skip the shampoo and wait for the elector PSP to arrive.

Most likely she has Northern Fowl Mites from the sound of it, but as a precaution I'd treat for both NFM and Red Mites.

For the coop - Clear out all the bedding. Burn it or otherwise bag up and dispose of it. Spray all surfaces (though I skipped the ceiling and top parts of wall though, because my coop peak is too tall) and crevices with pesticide, including roost bars and nests. After it all dries, put in new bedding (I made sure to do my spraying early in the day, so it was mostly dry by late afternoon so the chickens could go back in).

For the chicken - Spray under belly, under wings, on back, around base of neck, around vent. If they're getting them on their heads (which you may see scabbing around comb or even eyes if it's bad), I'd carefully pat some around the base of the comb or just behind the head, but I wouldn't spray them directly in the face.

You'll need to treat again in around 7 to 10-ish days, to kill off any mites from hatching eggs. Recheck after another 7-10 days and if needed, treat again (but if it's a light or moderate infestation, that shouldn't be necessary). She should be clear and good to go at that point.

You can suggest quarantine to your friends but it's their flock and up to them how they want to handle that, not everyone bothers with quarantine and they may simply ask you for her known medical history.

 

[aart]

I’d be interested in your opinion on who did it.

Could have been anything, but probably fox, coyote, bobcat.

She also has poopy butt feathers.

Trim the poopy feathers off 1/2" from skin.

 

[ZazasMom]

Thank you for your detailed reply!

Skip the shampoo and wait for the elector PSP to arrive.

Most likely she has Northern Fowl Mites from the sound of it, but as a precaution I'd treat for both NFM and Red Mites.

For the coop - Clear out all the bedding. Burn it or otherwise bag up and dispose of it. Spray all surfaces (though I skipped the ceiling and top parts of wall though, because my coop peak is too tall) and crevices with pesticide, including roost bars and nests. After it all dries, put in new bedding (I made sure to do my spraying early in the day, so it was mostly dry by late afternoon so the chickens could go back in).

For the chicken - Spray under belly, under wings, on back, around base of neck, around vent. If they're getting them on their heads (which you may see scabbing around comb or even eyes if it's bad), I'd carefully pat some around the base of the comb or just behind the head, but I wouldn't spray them directly in the face.

You'll need to treat again in around 7 to 10-ish days, to kill off any mites from hatching eggs. Recheck after another 7-10 days and if needed, treat again (but if it's a light or moderate infestation, that shouldn't be necessary). She should be clear and good to go at that point.

You can suggest quarantine to your friends but it's their flock and up to them how they want to handle that, not everyone bothers with quarantine and they may simply ask you for her known medical history.

Thank you for this detailed reply - exactly what I needed. I edited my post to spell Elector PSP correctly. Should I spray the dirt floor in the run...? Do I spray inside the feeder or just give it a good wash? Thanks!

 

[ZazasMom]

Could have been anything, but probably fox, coyote, bobcat.

I was just surprised that whatever it was got all 4 of them at once. I was prepared to lose one chicken at a time, not 4

Trim the poopy feathers off 1/2" from skin.

She's always had a tendency for a poopy vent. Is this related to the mites? We gave her a Epsom Salt bath once (I thought she had vent gleet), but it got poopy again within a few weeks. We'll definitely cut the feathers down, thanks!

 

[aart]

She's always had a tendency for a poopy vent. Is this related to the mites? We gave her a Epsom Salt bath once (I thought she had vent gleet), but it got poopy again within a few weeks. We'll definitely cut the feathers down, thanks!

Does she have loose wet poops?
Juicy poops tend to make for messier butt feathers.
Could be diet, could just be too much butt fluff.
Trimming helps keep it from happening again.

I doubt it has anything to do with the mites, unless she is much more infested than the other birds which leads to poorer overall health.

Knowing what kind of mites you have can help define how to treat.
Here's some tips and a good link for IDing mites:
My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you for your detailed reply!


Thank you for this detailed reply - exactly what I needed. I edited my post to spell Elector PSP correctly. Should I spray the dirt floor in the run...? Do I spray inside the feeder or just give it a good wash? Thanks!

It's impossible to really "clean" out a run so by treating the bird directly (as fowl mites live on the bird), as well as the coop (as red mites live in the housing and come out at night to feed) that should be enough to take care of either/both types of mites.

I'd clean out the feeder and give it a good wash, then keep an eye on it. Fowl and red mites shouldn't have any real reason to hang out in a feeder. If you have grain mites, which are different, DE is appropriate to treat those and can be mixed into the feed.

 

[ZazasMom]

It's impossible to really "clean" out a run so by treating the bird directly (as fowl mites live on the bird), as well as the coop (as red mites live in the housing and come out at night to feed) that should be enough to take care of either/both types of mites.

I'd clean out the feeder and give it a good wash, then keep an eye on it. Fowl and red mites shouldn't have any real reason to hang out in a feeder. If you have grain mites, which are different, DE is appropriate to treat those and can be mixed into the feed.

Thanks again! I'll do that. Elector PSP will arrive on Friday, so we can do the treatment on the weekend.

 

[ZazasMom]

Does she have loose wet poops?
Juicy poops tend to make for messier butt feathers.
Could be diet, could just be too much butt fluff.
Trimming helps keep it from happening again.

I doubt it has anything to do with the mites, unless she is much more infested than the other birds which leads to poorer overall health.

Knowing what kind of mites you have can help define how to treat.
Here's some tips and a good link for IDing mites:
My Bug Check notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Such great input, thank you!! I'll need to read up on the mites.

Her current poops look normal, but from time to time I've seen some wet poops in the yard (not 100% sure which hen it was from). What helps against the wet poops? We're putting ACV in her water (fresh every day) and give yogurt 1-2 times a week. We also used to give a handful of mealworms every day - is that too much?

 

[ZazasMom]

So, my husband went out and bought a radiant heater for Zaza's coop, since we're panicking about her being cold at night. I know that many hens together would be fine in the cold, but since she's alone in a 4'x4' coop, we don't know if she's producing enough body heat. What are your opinions?
Ventilation could be improved. There are 2 openings on opposite sides (each maybe 2 x 8 inches), but they could be bigger - this is one improvement I wanted to make before starting a new flock. Zaza did get minor frostbite once after getting soaked from running around in the rain all day, and night temps were 30-ish.

This is the heater: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater#