*QUESTION AND UPDATE POST 8* What is wrong with some of my chicken??

[IHeartCapnHook]

I would say they have sand stuck all over them... except they don't have access to sand??? Two little ones that I have noticed have it. One of my adult hens has it under her wing??? It's really sandy looking and attached where the feathers attach to the skin....

Any ideas?? Any suggestions??? The henhouse is hay and some food grade DE sprinkled about. It doesn't look like DE stuck to them??

 

[ArizonaNessa]

My first thought is some sort of mites or lice. I really have no idea but maybe someone that has seen this before will chime in soon. Good Luck to you.

 

[Ferngully]

It appears to be an infestation of mites(lice). Have you checked the vent area? Are they present there as well?

 

[IHeartCapnHook]

A few of them have some little skinish/pinkish coloured guys running around on them. It's only on a few of them. I put out a bunch of DE last week when I noticed them. I also tried to "splash" DE under their wings... there seems to be less creepy crawlies, but now they have sandy necks and the one has sandy... like massive sandy cakes under her wings...

Besides DE, what can I do to help my poor babies??? I thought DE was supposed to take care of this stuff? They have had DE in the henhouse since day one and they still got the creepy crawlies on them?!?!?!??!??!??!??!??!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I am going to give it a guess and say that those "sandy" places are eggs from the lice or mites. I would not think that DE would get rid of the eggs but it will kill off the mites. DE works kinda like fine shredded glass on the exoskeleton of the creepy crawlies from the way I understand it. No one has ever told me how much DE to use but I use about a 50 pound bag every 3 months but then again I have hundreds of birds. When I get done on dusting day I look like Lucy Ball in a Bakery. I wish I could tell ya how to get what I think are eggs off of them. Have you tried to remove it by pulling or raking them off with your hands? I would not try to remove them from the birds while inside the coop though if they are in fact eggs. If they are stuck on like glue you might try mineral oil.

 

[Imp]

Yes. infestation. See link. You will need to treat agressively with something stronger than DE. I think poultry dust or sevin. Good Luck.

Imp



http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[Lollipop]

I think if I found that much infestation, I would mix up a bucket of Adams flea and tick dip and dip every chicken on the place. This is the most radical treatment that will still allow your eggs to be eaten. Good luck.....Pop

Just read the rest of your post. Best to HEAVILY treat the whole coop after you clean out all the litter. Use the dip on the chickens and sevin dust in the nests and coop. Be aggressive.

 

[IHeartCapnHook]

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do I need to dip them again? Or will the Seven dust take care of the rest? Do I use the Seven like DE and just sprinkle it all over? Do I need to get the DE out before I sprinke Seven?

Oh I'm so upset about this situation! I weekly bleach out the henhouse, I clean the dirty hay out every other day. I have always used WAY more DE than necessary. I put DE in the sandbox for the wee ones. I blow on their vent area every day and only saw the first creepy crawly 5 days ago!!!! I don't understand how this infestation took over so quickly and so out of hand!!!

So, I went to my AG Mart, bought some Adam's dip and dipped all the babies. SO many of them had the eggs on their necks! Some walked like they were drunk? One went crazy and I think she got some in her mouth??? I''m scared I'm going to find her dead tomorrow from it : / Well, here are my VERY upset friends.

This is actually a silkie roo

My Ameraucauna girl who loves tends to sit with the pile of polish & silkies

 

[sammi]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the birds aren't poisoned.

please describe the entire procedure, did you dilute the dip?
and when did they start acting drunk?
how are they now?

you might have to wash them with clear water.

Bleach doesn't get rid of mites.
you have to remove all the bedding, treat the coop with Sevin, or poultry dust..(Ectiban-D (active ingrediant is permathrin)..
or use a spray..close the coop of from the birds till completely dry and aired out if using spray..
and replace with new bedding.

 

[IHeartCapnHook]

Quote:
I followed the directions on the bottle-- 2 Tbsp per gallon I think it was. I held their head up and dipped them as far aas I could w/o putting their heads under.
The girls (about a third of them) walked drunk for the first minute or so? Well, that and when they tried to fly