Silkie chicks -aprox 2.5-3 months old

lindy

Crowing
14 Years
Sep 6, 2009
197
70
254
Oregon
I purchased some month old silkies from a breeder in Florida. I purchased 6. Plus 2 packing peanuts(pets)
Ever since they arrived I had one sneeze. No watery eyes or fluid coming out of it's nose.
I thought it was the chips so they were moved onto sand. No change. Preety soon another one started to sneeze. They are big enough now that they moved into a stall.

I finally broke down and purchased some teramizyn (spell?) to put in the water. no change.

One of the little splashes is not doing well now. She is eating and drinking fine. But skinny and has her tail and wings down. Follows me around.
The other two still sneeze all the time and seem to wipe there head on their back.
I pulled some little feathers that were by their eyes.
I am not sure what to do? I was thinking of trying dewormer?
They are not around my other chickens. They aren't on any grass. They are eating flock raiser and scratch and peck feed. Refill water every day.


On a different note.. My adult silkies still get mites. I finally decided to use frontline. They have been on it for two months.
I tried Ive. Dusting every other day for a few days. There coop is cleaned out once a month. They free range during the day. Any other suggestions? At three weeks into a dose they are starting to itch a lot. So will have to dose them again. Very frustrating especially since I have to throw away what eggs they lay. I live where it's wet all the time and my adults are getting up there in age . Youngest being 2. Oldest being 7. So I heard the older they get the more they are likely to get mites.
 
There are several respiratory diseases that chickens can get. Viruses such as infectious bronchitis, and mycoplasma (MG) are some of the common ones. The terramycin is oxytetracycline, and it might help with symptoms of MG, or help to prevent secondary infections in IB. They have to drink enough of the medicine, though. Here is a link about diseases to read: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Mites can be tough to get rid of. I've never treated them, only lice from stupidly not examining a new rooster added to my flock who spread it around. Both mites and lice respond to permethrin or Sevin dust, applied every 5-7 days for mites, and every 10 days for lice. But the coop, nests, and roosts should also be treated, and bedding replaced. It can be a real headache. Are you positive it is mites and not lice? Chickens can become so anemic from mites that they can die. Mites are notorious for being brought in on bales of straw, just in case you use it for bedding. Here are some links about both lice and mites for reading:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/laura_e_john/
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
 
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