Twiching?

[pattgal]

What would cause a hen to keep twitching all the time. they just keep shaking their heads. my first thought is a parasite but Ive dusted them again and again.... and they are still twitching

 

[MSDeb]

What are you dusting them with?

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
Sevin 5%

 

[MSDeb]

Have you tried food grade Diatomaceous Earth, I put it in the coop and the nesting boxes (not in their food as others do). Have not had any problems with mites, fleas or ticks. I personally would not use the Seven on my birds, it is a pesticide (a highly poisonous product so care must be taken when handling it. It is not recommended that you use Sevin Dust on your pets, even though some people do).

Since you say you have used it multiple times, perhaps your birds are having a reaction to it. Try bathing them and adding DE to the coop instead.

Hope this helps.

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
I don't think they are having a reaction to it because they were doing it before I dusted them with it. I keep thinking it's mites or something but if it is why isn't it going away? I,ve gone through this process 3 times already.
I used ti use DE when I first got my hens last spring. it was supposed to be the way to go for the deep litter method. I used it all through the first half of the winter and gave up after I had to clean the coop a couple of times.
the twitching started in the fall after I was using the DE for awhile and before I started dusting with Sevin in attempt to solve the problem

 

[pattgal]

Whatever this is came from a few red hens I had bought from the farm down the road. I had no idea about quarantining birds then and just threw them in with my EE's
I am paying for that mistake now

Another thing, they have this white goo that keeps leaching out of theirs butts. another member told me they had poultry lice. I thought it was weird but I dusted them again and just like she said the goo dissapeared for a while. but now it's back!
this is frustrating

 

[MSDeb]

Have you tried contacting one of the local feed stores and talking to someone with a lot of chicken experience? I'm afraid I am not going to be any help with this issue.

 

[pattgal]

Well I did the best I can do and threw some more dust in their bedding. I don't see the point in dusting the hens right now since i've already done it a couple of times to no avail.
I had noticed them rolling themselves in their shavings so the extra DE and sevin mixed up in there should work itself out.
at one point I had a litter box with dirt and DE in there as a dust bath but they didn't like it. I wonder why? is there a certain way to make a dust bath that I am unaware of?

 

[MSDeb]

Mine love sand, I buy bags at the hardware and have a section in their run where they can wallow in it. When they free range in the yard they did holes (in the sand) we don't have real dirt. Just sand.

 

[lady feathers]

ear infection possibly? Last night I read someone suggested looking into the ears with a magnifying glass... if you see mites in the ears you can put vegetable oil in the ears for a few days and it should clear up.... if you see build up of ear wax it's an ear infection and you can "Flush the ears with hydrogen peroxide, carefully dry with a Q-tip or small piece of cotton, then pack the ears with neosporin, should clear up in no time." sorry I can't give credit for this advice I can't find the forum where I got it from just yesterday.... it was for a woozy chicken but I have one that has been shaking it head so I wrote it down to try, Good Luck!