URGENT: Mites or Lice on Already Near-Dead Hen- How to Remove?

[Ridgerunner]

It is starting to sound like a successful treatment! Congratulations!!

I'd treat again in 10 days or so to get the lice hatching out, then follow with regular check-ups.

I asked a poultry specialist with the University of Arkansas about the risks of Sevin. My specific question was if the porous egg would absorb anything bad from the Sevin, but he gave a more general answer. Of course you should not breathe the dust of any poison, but he considered Sevin a very safe treatment.

I personally would not use Sevin as a preventative, only a treatment. I know Sevin has a fairly short half-life, but chickens make a lot of dust and I think you and they will be breathing in Sevin on a regular basis if it is used as a preventative. I am not "organic" in my methods but I do try to watch what goes into me and the chickens. I also don't want to contribute to creating a Sevin-resistant mite or louse. My own opinion. Others are welcome to disagree.

 

[lovemychix]

Some places even carry a poultry dust and it's almost like Sevin. I use Sevin if I don't have the other. Same stuff. Use an old knee high pantyhose and tie the end and jsut dust them well. Making sure to get every spot.

 

[chickeepoo]

Quote:
Thanks- I hope it's not premature! She's been making dark green poop, sometimes watery, sometimes a little more grainy/formed… I'm hoping this means that the blender dinners I've been feeding her are going through OK, just not as digested as I'd like to see, instead of some problem like liver failure. One concern is that her comb and wattles are not as bright red today; in fact, they look dingy brownish-pink now. She almost opened one eye when she was scolding me for wiping some food off of her face that missed her mouth, but other than that she doesn't open them at all.

2:00 p.m. update: Her crop remains full from last feeding, feels like a mushy water balloon… I wonder if she's starting to "Shut Down?"

 

[meriruka]

I hope she's improving. It's been my experience that greenish poop is "bile" and the watery stuff "urates" which means she's probably not digesting. Pale comb is not a great sign either. Not trying to sound negative, but I've been through this (it's hard) but she may be near the end. I usually wrap them in a towel and hold them until they go, it seems to comfort them. I hope I'm wrong though and she recovers for you.

 

[chickeepoo]

Quote:
I hope so too- her color looks the same today, the part diarrhea/ part solid poop is still green whether there's greens in the blended food or not… it does look grainy like the texture of the food I feed thirugh the syringe. Does that seem like it's undigested food run through a system that's turning off?

She just rearranges herself in the cage from time to time and between feedings and sleeps. She had so much poop stuck to her backside this morning that I tried removing it with napkins and warm wet cloths- she sure fussed at me then and even went to use her wings a little (maybe getting cleaned was REALLY uncomfortable, but I didn't want her having caked-on poop). That's the most energy she's showed since getting ill. The good news is I can't see any live lice on her. The good but bad news is, I don't find any lice on the rest of the birds… so where did they come from?

 

[Renee]

It may be that the lice colonized this chicken because she was ill. In the wild, birds that get sick do not preen themselves well and they get lice infestations, so it may be the same with chickens.

The lice are everywhere at certain times of the year. Wild birds have them sometimes, and chickens may pick them up by dust-bathing.

My neighbors had one chicken who got lice, and we assume it was because she has a crossed beak and could not take care of her feathers well.

 

[chickeepoo]

UPDATE: I've been out for 2 days for an over-night field trip for school- I had a friend feed the hen while I was away. I just fed her plenty and checked her poop- looks like her digestive system is trying to right itself from the color and shape of the droppings. Her crop was not very full when I picked her up, and I try to keep her fed frequently. She also has been opening her eyes- a big change since a week ago! And she complains when I try to wipe her up at all on her face or bottom… can I just get rid of those feathers around her vent so she doesn't keep messy, or are they at least protecting her skin from the fecal matter?

Her left leg doesn't seem to be working well for her when she tries to lift herself to reposition in the cage, though… I don't know if that's a sign of paralysis or just having leaned on that side too much. If she can make strides in her recovery this week, I'll figure she's meant to make it.

 

[Renee]

Yes, you can trim away those feathers. Good work so far, and thanks for the update.

 

[chickeepoo]

Sunday Update: Her energy is low, she keeps scrambling to get balance when she does want to move but falls on her left side. She does open her eyes at times when I'm feeding her, but drifts back off with her head sometimes to the left. Her efforts to move, other than the times she tries to reposition herself, are usually when I'm feeding her the third syringe-full… her crop stays kind of full, and the food now comes out brown instead of green but still some loose (it is pudding consistency when I mix it, so that may be normal, but I don't see that it's necessarily very digested). So- I pipe in the fluids and nutrition, but I don't know if she's actually improving past this point. It honestly looks like I'm keeping her alive when she'd like to just go to sleep and die peacefully. I said I'd give her longer into this week to get better… but she can't stay a permanent invalid hen. Anyone been here before?

**RENEE**… everything OK in CA? None of that crazy flu around you or your birds I hope?

 

[emilyweck]

Argh! No, fortunately I haven't been where you are. I'm so sorry. I think you just need to do what you feel is right for you. If you feel you've given it your all and that you will be OK with the ultimate decision, then your work is done. If you'll question yourself and beat yourself up later because you feel you should have done more, then I would keep on trucking.

I can't imagine how you feel. Such a hard choice, but ultimately it is your choice and deciding whether you and she are ready.

Good luck and let us know what tonight brings. I hope she is just taking her time mending.