Please help

[getaclue]

unbaked, when you dust the chickens, they are going to inhale a little. I have a small plastic tote, and I pour the powder in it. Then I grab a chicken, stand it in the tub, and scoop the powder, starting at the feet, and working up. All my birds are pretty good, with the exception of 2 hens. They do fine, until I start dusting around their wing area. Of course, they have to flap their wing(s), which creates a little dust cloud. It's confined to a small area. I simply turn my head away from the dust, regain control quickly, and finish. Yes, there will be a little dust cloud when you release them, and they flap, and shake the excess powder off. I usually do mine 2 - 3 times a year, and mine usually live for many years, without any respiratory issues, and without any ongoing mite problems.

 

[unbaked pegga]

I cleaned everything out of the chicken coop yesterday and literally drenched everything from top to bottom with permethrin. I put fresh straw in the nest box and sand in the other nest box because try as I might I cannot get them to roost. They sleep in that box and I quit disagreeing with them. There is no arguing with a chicken. But I put fresh sand in there and then sprinkled poultry dust on everything, walls and ledges, everything I could get it to adhere to. I have looked online to buy another orpington. I found a site called either Cowboy Oklahoma Chickens or Cowboy Chickens. He has some jubilee orpington pullet hens. I so want to buy some. I thought if I got 2, they would keep each other company while I had them isolated and also thought they might be easier to assimilate into the flock because they would be bigger than a juvenile and maybe the other 3 Orpingtons wouldn’t realize it really wasn’t my Little Blossum and they might accept them since she was a jubilee and not as big as most pictures I have seen of them. Over the last 5 years I have bought 6 Orpingtons from online hatcheries and have lost 3 of them. I don’t know if it was inferior stock or my ignorance of how to take care of them (most likely the latter) There is so much more than feeding, keeping fresh water and loving them. But I really did use DE frequently and I cleaned poo out of the run and coop every single day but didn’t remove sand but did replace straw when it started getting dark looking. I have a 12 foot run that I drenched all of the joints with permethrin except the top that I have a tarp over. I will do that today. There is no way I can get all of the sand out of there. It is about 4” deep. I have to pick up all of the straw that I raked from under the elevated coop and there was a lot of it. I will drench that area as well. But I keep going back to getting those Orpingtons. I didn’t see if that hatchery was NPIP. And you know the other 3 has this chronic respiratory issue that Blossum had. I hate eggs so I just toss their eggs. But I am condemning any other birds I get to the same thing. Do you know if there is any kind of a vaccine that can be given to protect against the respiratory disease. Two of the hens started off with this. I had them to the vet several times and they were tested for avian flu but I was never told exactly what they had. Other than that they were big healthy birds. There are only 2 vets her that will even treat chickens and they don’t seem knowledgeable at all. They charge big $$ but seemed puzzled themselves as to what was wrong with them. I am sorry for this to be such a long post I just wanted some ideas and suggestions on if there is anything else I should be doing and if the idea of getting 2 more hens is sound. I think it is probably more for me not to miss her so bad if I had another one (or two) that looked like her

 

[getaclue]

unbaked, It sounds like you've done a fine job. Remember, just dust it with the permethrin, don't overdo it. In 10 days, you will do it again. The first application kills the bugs, the second kills the nits that have just hatched. By doing it the second time in 10 days, the nits don't reach adulthood, and can't lay eggs.

You mentioned treating the coop, but did you dust the birds? That's important in breaking the cycle.

When cleaning, disinfecting, and treating for things in a coop, it is wise to start at the top, and work down. Always remove the waterer(s), and feeder(s), then wash, rinse, and replace them after the coop is done.

Mites happen. Wild birds, squirrels, field mice, rats, are just a few examples of how mites are easily spread. They are typically easy to get rid of, just keep an eye on the feather condition of your birds. If the feathers look a little "chewed on", or ratty, and they are not in molt, it's time to treat for mites. I went a couple years with no problems, had to treat a couple times about 3 moths apart, then went another year, and a half without incident. There is no set schedule, so don't just automatically treat for them.

I make soapy water with Dawn blue dish liquid, just like dishwater for handwashing dishes. I put that in a sprayer, and spray on the sand until the top layer is damp, in my coop about every 8 weeks.

There really is no vaccine to protect against respiratory illness, but healthy chickens don't typically have a major problem with it.

Getting a couple more birds is fine, but not yet. Make sure your coop is free of mites, and that the remaining birds are in good health. It would be a shame to get healthy birds, and expose them to something that would jeopardize their health. When you are sure everything is fine, get the new birds, but be sure to QUARANTINE them. Don't just put the new ones in with your existing flock. I can not stress this enough. Keep the new ones away from your existing flock for 3 weeks. Far too many have regretted not doing this. They lose some birds, get everything fine, then bring in a few new birds that look fine, but discover in a week that they are not healthy, and then contaminate their healthy existing flock too. Don't make that mistake.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Oh yes I always have quarantined any new chickens for 2-3 weeks. What I did with the coop was I removed all of the sand in the nesting boxes, the coop floor and all straw. I had to leave the sand in the run but sprayed well with permethrin. Inside the coop I used the permethrin spray 36%, 1-2/3 oz in a gallon of water. I sprayed the inside of the coop from the ceiling down, trying to be certain I got in every crack or anywhere where wood would meet. I saturated both nesting boxes and coop floor, around the windows, the top and bottom of the roost (which they don’t use) I then sprayed all of the wood frame of the run. I sprayed all around the perimeter and raked out underneath the coop (it is elevated) and sprayed. After everything was dry I put fresh straw in one of the nest boxes and sand in the other plus the coop floor then I sprinkled poultry dust all over everything. In their dust bath area I raked all of the leaves out and dusted it liberally with poultry dust. That terrible veterinarian gave me some unlabeled medicine in a syringe and told me to put it in a spray bottle and spray them every other day for three weeks. There is not going to be near enough but I have completed 2 treatments under their wings, around their vent area, on their legs, top of their head an most of underneath the feathers. They were not agreeable about this but behaved better than I thought they would. So today I bought some Duracet Ivermectin pour on for cattle, swine etc. while I did not see a dose for poultry I have read here where it could be used. I just need to ask what dosage and if it is an all over spray or just some undiluted in between the shoulder blades. Would you happen to know? Thank you again for your help

 

[getaclue]

Do NOT start the Ivermectin. You are trying to kill the mites, not your birds. Use what the vet gave you on your birds, nothing else. You've done a good job with the coop. When the 10 days is up, spray it down again, but don't soak it. Don't overdo it, since the second time you are just trying to get the few nits that have hatched out, and they're not hard to kill.

 

[getaclue]

After you finish treating the birds with what the vet gave you, and you treat the coop the second time, you should be mite free. No need to treat birds, or coop until you see signs again.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Do NOT start the Ivermectin. You are trying to kill the mites, not your birds. Use what the vet gave you on your birds, nothing else. You've done a good job with the coop. When the 10 days is up, spray it down again, but don't soak it. Don't overdo it, since the second time you are just trying to get the few nits that have hatched out, and they're not hard to kill.

I won’t have enough of what the vet gave me to last 3 weeks. I saw on BYC about using the pour on ivermectin on a chicken for lice and mites. I think it was 4 or 5 drops in between the shoulder blades. Even though I cleaned the coop, that doesn’t kill the lice and mites on chickens does it? And the vet said for 3 weeks. Now I am confused

 

[christy campbell]

I have a rooster that is 2 uears old hes pooping green he still eats and drinks hes lost his tailfeathers i have ben giving him electrolytes mixing with gallon of water and ive ben spraying him with poultry protector hes not getting any better though what should i do please help i could use some advice hes ben like this for about 5 days

 

[getaclue]

Are you sure he didn't tell you 4-5 drops once a week for 3 weeks?

 

[microchick]

@unbaked pegga, how lucky your girls are to have you as their chicken mom. Yes, it is so very hard to loose one. You feel so helpless and then when there is nothing else that you can do except let their little spirits fly free, it just breaks your heart.

It sounds as though you have all the bases covered and have a plan for treatment for the rest of your flock.I use Ivermectin topical on my birds and thank you for posting. You reminded me that it is time to do their follow up treatment.

I hope you are able to get the new members for your flock. Nothing can ever replace the girls you have lost but the new girls can help fill the empty place.

As for the vet. I do understand your frustration. I don't have an avian vet anywhere near, even though the local vet treats ostriches and emus, he won't touch one of my chickens. I'm on my own. Still your vet has a bedside manner that stinks to high heaven. The best thing you can do is take your business elsewhere and if you do, let the vet know why. Maybe he will wake up and smell the flowers so to speak.

Once again, my deepest condolences and hugs to you and your flock. I'm retired also. Trust me, it doesn't take much to get chicken poor.

@christy campbell, welcome to the forum. Sounds as though you have your hands full also but are facing a different problem. Suggest that you start a new thread in this forum Emergencies/Diseases, etc and you will be sure to get responses. Off the top of my head I would be curious to know if your have wormed your flock lately. Worm load can cause diarrhea in chickens.