Rescued hen has tiny white bugs. Help

[cbain0432]

My daughter rescued a stray hen from a cat near her school. Limping on left leg. Comb bloody. Missing feathers on head, back, rump. Other feathers were cut by someone, probably previous owner. She did not have any bathroom debris for 8 hrs. Eating, drinking and using potty now. I made a cozy home in my shower for her. For 1 day, very little movement. I have 11 pullets and 1 cockerel. I took new girl outside. Now that she had seen my flock, she's become a chatty Cathy. Excited to limp around on leg and eat near my flock. I kept at a distance because of her bugs. I don't know how to treat them. She stinks too. I will probably need to treat my flock too. Any advise?

 

[DobieLover]

If i put new girl (Brave), on ground, pecking begins, rooster mounts, a bit hostile. But if she sits in my lap, or on the bin, nobody bothers her. They will even jump up with her, eat her food and hop down. No aggression. Put her on the ground, immediate aggression. Put her back on bin, immediately no aggression.

You've done a wonderful job helping this girl heal. What a transformation!

You now need to keep her in a "look don't touch" situation for a couple of weeks before allowing her to intermingle with your flock. It will take a long time for her to integrate as she is a lone hen interloping in your flock. But the rooster may very well help with the integration process. Good luck with her.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Where on her body are the bugs? Can you tell where the foul odor is coming from? Do you see any wounds anywhere on her? Part her feathers, look under her wings, between her legs, etc. Are the bugs moving? Are they about the size of grains of rice? If so, they may be maggots. Can you post pictures of the hen, especially the bugs, along with a picture of her poo.

 

[casportpony]

Sounds like she might have lice. Go to Tractor Supply and get some permethrin spray or permethrin powder.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would start by giving this hen a proper bath. Use warm water and baby shampoo, wash head to toe, removing all dirt, poop, scum, scabs, and anything else obviously not part of the chicken. Rinse well. Since she's in the shower, I'd wash her there, then wrap her in a big warm towel fresh from the dryer, then finish by blow drying.

This will enable you to see better what you're dealing with, whether or not there are any festering wounds.

I agree. Start with a total wash up, the bath will also kill a few of the critters on her. The OP will also be able to see what "comes off" in the bath water as well.
Wet feathers make it easy to look at skin and wounds this way she can make note of what else needs to be addressed. Photos too please
Permethrin based poultry spray or dust is the easiest things to get at the local TSC. Neosporin can be used on any cuts/wounds.

Hope this girl recovers quickly.

 

[cbain0432]

She is doing a lot better. Almost a week into this. I got the lice dust. Treated my flock twice. New girl 3 times. No bugs now, but will keep checking for a while. Feathers are starting to come back slowly. Her poop is back to normal.

 

[slordaz]

tagging someone who really knows there stuff, could be lice, could be she's got a festering would that flies laid eggs in

@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@casportpony

 

[cmom]

I use permethrin. It works. I had a severe infestation of mites primarily in one coop which I attribute to wild birds that had tried to build nests in the coop. My birds were ugly. I thought they were molting but they didn't seem to be getting their feathers back in so upon closer inspection I discovered they were covered with mites. I did spray the birds, as well as their nest boxes, ceilings, walls, floors, on and under the roosts, any crack and crevices with a gallon sprayer so I could reach the hard to reach areas with the wand and repeat weekly for awhile because it doesn't kill the pests eggs. I use permethrin dust on my birds and in their nest boxes. If you have a TSC they carry the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. No egg withdrawal period. I bathed the infected birds using flea shampoo. It did help get rid of some of the pests but not all. The birds actually relaxed and seemed to enjoy being bathed. Since treating the coop and birds, no more mites and the birds are beautiful again.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

Poor girl! Good thing you found her. Sounds like some good advice you're getting and I hope she heals soon! The fact she was chatting with your flock sounds like a good sign, though. And yes, getting all the grime off her is a good place to start. Good luck to you both!

 

[cbain0432]

If i put new girl (Brave), on ground, pecking begins, rooster mounts, a bit hostile. But if she sits in my lap, or on the bin, nobody bothers her. They will even jump up with her, eat her food and hop down. No aggression. Put her on the ground, immediate aggression. Put her back on bin, immediately no aggression.

Nice and clean. No more odor. Comb still healing. Nursing left leg still. I can't see any open leg wound.