PLEASE HELP !

[Emily Young]

Just last night one of my chickens, a two year old salmon favorelle, died unexpectedly. I found her sitting outside the coop around dusk when all the other chickens already went in. Her comb was purple ish and she wouldn't stand on her own and actually let me pick her up and cuddle her! That was the most alarming part because she is very aggressive whenever I try to touch her, she always pecks and is the most skiddish chicken I've ever had. I thought that maybe she was cold because it was around 40 degrees when I found her. So I brought her in the house where it was warmer and she actually seemed to perk up a bit and seemed more aware and was actually drinking water. It wasn't until maybe five minutes after I had brought her in did I see almost microscopic black bugs crawling all over my hands and evidently, my hen. I looked up chicken parasites and found that it was most like chicken mites, but I hat I'm confused and concerned about is that I thought chickens give themselves dirt bathes to get RID of parasites, and yet all my chickens have shown symptoms of mites. I could really use some advice before anymore of my chickens die..HELP !

 

[roosterhavoc]

Sevin dust either out of the plastic can or in pantyhose. Make sure you cover the birds really good. Wear gloves and cover your face. You can use ivermectin pour on also 4-5 drops under the hackles on the neck. Then use frontline spray (dog and cats) to prevent them in the future. You should dust them again after 7-10 days to make sure you kill everything. This works.

 

[coach723]

You also need to clean out and treat the coop, a permethrin spray is easiest.
Here is more info:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[townchicks]

I'm sorry for your loss. You definitely need to treat for mites, but sick birds often become over run by mites, so that may not be the main cause of your hen's passing. If possible, it is best to send the body out for a necropsy when ever there are unknown causes of death. Keep a close eye on the rest of the flock, sick birds will try to hide it, so even a subtle change can be a significant clue. Look at droppings, listen to breathing, check crops and body weight, when you can. She may not have had anything contagious, but you never know.

 

[littlepip]

Treat all the chickens for mites, and clean out that coop. you need to prevent more losses!