problem w hen??

[dobe627]

Hi everyone, I have been a member here for sometime but have never posted. Anyway I have a polish hen ( age?) about 2 weeks ago I noticed she was on the roost for about the 3rd day. I have a very large indoor/ outdoor area for 5 polish chickens and 7 Guineas. Anyway I went in to check on her and thought her eyes had been pecked out but I never see anyone fight. Upon closer exam she was infested with mites but only on her head and topknot(?) feathers. Her eyes were stuck shut with gunk. So I dusted her really good and cleaned around her eyes and pryed them open, She ran and ate and drank. Next day her eyes were a little crusty and mites appearead dead, oh yeah everyone else is fine. So I have really been watching her and redusted at 10 days. But yesterday and today she still has some crawling on her face. I tried to get them all off with a cotton ball dipped in dust but don't want to get it in her eyes. I don't know what to do for her, please if anyone can help let me know what to do or point me in the right direction. I do spray every few months and clean the litter on the inside. The outside pretty much takes care of itself but I do spray it as well. We did have a huge flock of blackbirds go through here. Her nose seems ok and when I have her eyes cleaned she acts ok. Thanks for any help Cathy

 

[mtnhomechick]

The only thing I can think of is to give her a bath. Could you do that and keep her inside for a day?

I'm sure someone here will know.

Good Luck,

Mary

 

[dobe627]

I am a dog groomer and have my own shop here on the farm. How would I go about doing that? And what shampoo should I use? How should I dry her? I think my dog dryers would blow her away. I do have brooding lamps? I have a "natural" flea shampoo with neem oil safe for dogs and cats think that would work?. Why would she be the only one with a problem? Just weaker immune?

 

[mtnhomechick]

I don't know why.

I had an injured bloody hen last weekend. The injury was small but she is a W. Leghorn and the blood was all over her front. I had to bathe her just so the others wouldn't peck her with all that red.

I never had the problem you have but I have some poultry spray on hand just in case. I got it from Orschelns. I would imagine any farm store would carry that.

As far as bathing. It was easy. Just fill up a pail, sink etc. Soap her up and rinse real good. I wrapped mine in a big towel and held her for awhile to get most of it. Then I put her in a rabbit cage with wire sides and put a small heater next to the side. She just stayed there for a few hours til she was dry. I gave her food and water. Put her back out a few hours later and she was fine.

I know people bathe them for poultry shows so it's not that uncommon. I have read where some use blow dryers.

Have you ever tried DE, Stall Dry or Sevin Dust? I use Stall Dry and Sevin Dust as a preventative. I think the Sevin will work after the problem is discovered. I would think a bath would be faster acting though.

i

 

[dobe627]

I dusted her with sevin dust when I found the problem and then agian in 10 days. Inside of the coop is a good layer of DE then stall dry ( which has DE) then wood shavings. I spray with a permithein spray every few months. But in all the years I have owned varying kinds of poultry ( including 2 dear turkeys who have both passed on) I Have never had a problem with mites. And as I mentioned none of my other birds are showing any problems.
I do have to go to TSC so will look for the stuff you said. Boy can't wait to see the look on hubbys face when I tell him I am bathing the chicken. haha. Thanks for your advice, hopefully it helps her. Cathy

 

[Fudgie]

Just please be so very careful in bathing her, she is stressed out enough right now. I had one similar problem. Last night she was just sitting there in the coop not moving when I fed them. I got her out and discovered she had lice and mites everywhere. Dusting was not an option they had to go now! I very gently gave her a bath. She stressed out so bad and died in my arms.

Just want you to know this can happen so be so gentle and if she starts to stress, stop stop stop. Mine was calm the whole time, not flapping around and such, she just like had a heart attack and died. I feel like a murderer!


And yes, I inspected everyone else and was cleaning the coops at 11:30 last night to remove all icky bedding and spray with the orscheln spray and dusted everyone whether they needed it or not. Interestingly the ones you would think would have had lice and mites (the silkies with loads of fluff) were clean, the speckled susex and RIR chicks were covered with them.

 

[dobe627]

Well I did not give her a bath today as she was outside acting ok when I went out this am. Previously she had been still on the roosst till I would go in and clean her eyes. So I checked her quickly as she was really fighting this am ( unlike the past few times where she was a little listless). And since she has been dusted twice with the sevin dust I am going to wait on the bath if shes acting ok. The only place I could find mites on her was her head?? Thanks for all the advice though. I am really hoping she gets better. I really like my polish chickens and would love to find some more. Cathy

 

[Beau coop]

JMajors= I am so sorry to hear your hen died!

I didn't even know that could happen!