Sick Chicken

[Gee559]

Hello everyone I'm new here.

I got some chickens and a couple of them have some flee like insects on them. Any one know what they are? And how to take them off? Some of my chicks died I'm guessing from that because they stopped eating when they got them.

 

[peaceful]

Hmm, first welcome to Backyard Chickens!
Second, I'm not sure what your chickens have got. Possibly lice, mites or fleas? If they are dying and not eating they may have more problems also. Where did you get the chickens from? Where they eating before? Have you checked your food to make sure that it is good?
Meanwhile, there are a number of things that can help with pests on your chickens.
Diatomaceous earth is one, here are some links
http://www.preciouspets.org/diatomaceousearth/
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=867362921535089214#

here's something else also, cedar oil, that apparently has been used by the us military to tackle sand fleas in the middle east and works for mites, fleas lice etc.. It is natural and less toxic, and they claim it works better than the chemicals.
http://www.pestigator.com/

People also use chemicals, permethrin powder or Sevin dust are both mentioned a lot on the site. I've copied something from Mother Jean below on this.

If you have none of these things immediately and you do have access to wood ash, like from a woodstove, take some of that and put it in their run so that they can dust bathe in it , that can help some while you are looking into these other things.

(Oh and here is one more thought. I don't know if chickens get fleas, and if they are similar to dog and cat fleas, but I have cured a flea infestation in my cats simply by putting nutritional yeast on their coat and in their food. Simple but effective.)

Meanwhile best of luck with it all and best wishes.

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here's something from Mother Jean in a different post giving suggestions about mites:
Here's an excellent resource from the University of California with information on mites, their identification and treatment. http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8162.pdf

A common mistake people make in treating mites or lice with permethrin powder or Sevin dust is in only treating their flock once. These products can't kill all the eggs that you see stuck to the feathers. That's why you must re-dust your flock 10 days later in order to kill any newly hatched mites before they have a chance to mature and lay more eggs. For insurance, you might even re-dust again 10 days after that. Also, you must do a thorough cleaning and dusting of your coop and run. Mites can and do spend daylight hours off your birds hiding in cracks, crevices, floor litter, nesting boxes, and even under manure.

Mites are a real pain to get rid of, but it is imperative that you do so. Mite infestation is more than just creepy, it's potentially deadly.