"Sit, girl! Sit!"

[The4Chickeneers]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to keep a chicken "still" (as in not moving).
We have a twelve-month-old Blue Cochin with mites, and she is losing feathers rapidly (another question: is it because of the mites or because she is ready to molt?) Last weekend, my siblings and I placed her in a shallow tub (used for their dust-bathing box) that was filled with wood ash, and we began to gently massage it into her feathers like we've seen people do in pictures. However, she panicked, flapped her wings wildly, and flew out of the box. She has been pretty much avoiding humans (and the dust-bathing box) since. Dusting her at night wouldn't work very well either, as she wakes up at any minute noise. How do I get her to stay still while I dust her? Is there anything (food, scent, sound, etc.) that can make a chicken very sleepy?
Thanks!
*Wishing you could train chickens to sit like you can dogs

*

 

[The4Chickeneers]

She is also very nervous around people. any reason for this phobia? Please help! We're getting really worried about our poor bird.

 

[appps]

You can get drops that you put on the back of their necks similar to dogs. Heck of a lot easier. I just waited till they were settled in the nesting box and did it then.

You then also need to spray the coop with something like fido's fleas spray etc.

 

[The4Chickeneers]

You can get drops that you put on the back of their necks similar to dogs. Heck of a lot easier. I just waited till they were settled in the nesting box and did it then.

You then also need to spray the coop with something like fido's fleas spray etc.

will that get rid of the mites?

 

[JadeRahl]

Put it in a cat litter pan and see if she will do it herself? If not either hold on tight or flip her upside down and apply quickly.

 

[appps]

U

will that get rid of the mites?

Yes, my vet prescribed it for us. The drops were ivermectin 0.25ml per kg of body weight and we got them from her so we didn't have to buy a big bottle which can work out expensive apparently.

You need to treat your whole flock because if one has them they all will. Withhold eggs two weeks.

Then clean out coop and spray all timber and roosts etc with the fido flea spray, repeat in a fortnight.

Our mites went from crawling on our arms when we got eggs to gone in a couple of days

 

[appps]

Just rereading your question, do you know for sure they have mites or is it just that they have lost feathers?

 

[Aime137]

To get her to hold still, you can wrap her in a towel and hold her. She might struggle at first but be gentle and persistent and she should calm down.

 

[The4Chickeneers]

Just rereading your question, do you know for sure they have mites or is it just that they have lost feathers?

It is for sure that she has mites. She is also molting- we think.

 

[The4Chickeneers]

To get her to hold still, you can wrap her in a towel and hold her. She might struggle at first but be gentle and persistent and she should calm down.

Ok I'll have to try that. We tried to put a towel over her head but she freaked out. I went into their coop this morning and found my Silver Wyendotte ATTACKING her! We've always had trouble with that chicken, but now Mithril(the Blue Cochin with mites) is TERRIFIED of both people and most other chickens. No matter what, she always wants to run away from everrybody except my buff orphington, who is very nice to her

.

One problem that we have is that she has been through a lot, and we've almost lost her many times. All those times we've had to apply salves to her wounds, give her food away from the others, seperate her from the others, force her to do this and that, trying to save her, and she's pretty scared of us now.