Smelly armpit goo, lethargic leghorns

[SmiYa0126]

It sounds like a fungal infection. @azygous would hibiclens or betadeine work here?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

What permethrin product did you use and how did you dilute it for dipping the hens?

I have a slightly different train of thought on this. I can't remember who it was nor when (maybe last year), another person dipped a few hens. Not all of them ended up with some scaling and scabbing of the skin, but iirc, a few did. Perhaps the birds had a larger infestation of parasites or ???Anyway, since you have 2 of the same breed, perhaps they are more sensitive to the Permethrin, just guessing.

If they were mine, I would use Chlorhexidine to clean/work off the dead skin/scaly material and to clean the Goo. Really work the chlorhexidine into the areas (gently) and remove as much of the goo as possible.

Don't rinse the Chlorhexidine off, it will have residual effects.

Put the hens where they can dry. IF it's warm weather, place a fan where the air can blow under the wings to help dry it out.
Wings are a warm moist environment so they are a nice place for fugal or bacterial infections to thrive. I suspect this may be fungal/yeast (like belly button goo).

You want the skin under the wings to dry instead of adding more moisture with ointment. Any wounds I have ever treated that were under the wings, I have left "dry", when I have used ointments under wings in the past, it seemed to make wounds/conditions slow to heal and fester (get stinky), but when I just swab/wipe and work with Chlorhexidine only under wings, they heal up fairly quickly.

Swab Chlorhexidine on the skin at least 2X a day and work on removing goo/crusties at least 1X a day.

Are the Mites gone?
When it comes time for repeat treatment of Permethrin (in your 5 day window) I'd use Permethrin dust to treat the hens instead of dipping.

Just My 2¢

 

[alinas2010]

Sort of similar maybe, it did seem to be yeast related in this case from what they could tell:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-skin-updated-with-pictures-last-post.713901/

 

[azygous]

I'm glad a cause was found for this as it was puzzling my mind to no end. I love solving problems, but this one befuddled me.

Debriding with a soft wash cloth is still an important part of the treatment, and by removing all dead, loose tissue, it will go a long way to reducing the environment for fungus to grow. As with all fungal infections, keeping the area dry is important.

Once the affected areas are clean and beginning to heal, I'm thinking Blu-kote may be a good way to go. It's an anti-fungal, gentian violet being the main ingredient, and it also dries out the affected tissue. It's what I would use since I've seen how quickly it heals fungal infections.