Little crawling things about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Make me itch. I've had them before, and Sevin under the bedding has helped. I'll do that today in the main coop, but I have some day old peeps the are with a Mom who's crawling (gag). She's seperate, in a different building, what can I do for her/them?
I also have a big Cochin Roo who's having trouble walking. It happened after he got loose and was chased under the coop by others. He tips forward when he tries to walk. Legs seem okay (as in not broken), and he's eating and does move around. So far it's wait and see, I can't think of anything to do for him :(. He's a lovely huge boy. and I'd like to save him.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
Mites? Lice? HELP!!
Oh, dear, sorry to hear about your plague. The little critters sound like mites as opposed to lice so an insecticide might not work. Treating with an Ivermectin dewormer will kill the mites on the hen. There are also topical miticides. The Cochin might have Marek's disease. If so the only real treatment is just supportive. As long as he is eating there is hope. Haystack and ZZ will probably have more useful advice.
Ick! Hate crawling bugs. I'll be waiting to hear what to treat the babies with too. Lice and mites can happen to anyone (chicken).
can use Adam Flea off spray or a pyrethrin dip
Catmad, I would first give the chicken a nice very warm soaking, warm to hot, but not hot enough to burn your hand. I usually leave the chick or adult in for about ten minutes. Keep the water plenty warm so the bird does not get cold. When finished towel dry, then blow dry. Then use diatamaceous earth, (food Grade). I also use DMSO as it is an oil base and rub it heavily up and down the legs. It will smother bugs and eggs laid in the scales of the legs. I would also wear a dust mask while applying the Dia. Lift the wings and be sure to get the vent are well dusted...Good luck...Hay
Thanks :).
Porkpal, ivermectin used how? Injected, oral, or topical? I've used it for earmites in cats (in the ears), so it makes sense, but afaik internal use won't help with topical issues. At least not in cats dogs or cows*G*.
Donna, I tried to get a spray yesterday, and no luck at the feedstore. My other option is a 30 mile roundtrip, so that has to wait.
Haystack, I hesitate to soak the hen, as she freaks out if her babies get too far away. DE is also on the 30 mile route, if they have it.
A neighbor suggested Sevin dust. He uses it on his birds, but I'm considering putting it under new bedding, and I've read the critters can live in the wood. Used to use it for dogs and fleas, but was happy to give it up with the advent of topical flea stuff.
Thank you, all, I'll keep you posted.
Ivermectin can be given orally and it will kill the mites via the blood they ingest. I suspect a pour - on as used on cattle would work too but I have no idea how to calculate the dosage. However you also need to treat the environment with a miticide to get lasting results.
Porkpal is right the enrironment needs to be sprayed with something like food grade oil as it will suffocate the mites...Good luck Catmad.
The man from the state that does the NPIP tests said to get the flea spray for dogs at Walmart, and just give them a little spray over their head, covering their eyes. Then cover the vent area with your hand, and spray them from the back. He said, that's all you have to do. Don't overdo it he said, just two sprays is enough. Then repeat that the next day, and skip a day, or however you need to.
He used the word "mites", which he thought could be on the head of one of my hens I bought online. They made her scalp look kind of dark and crusty.
The mites I had here that killed my baby chicks were black specks. Several had already died, and so I brought the others in, and saw these tiny black dots crawling off. I urgently dmailed Z. HELP SOS!!! ZZ told me they were mites. She said they were hatching out and probably came from the hay I had used for bedding. :( They also could have come on the hatching eggs. Can't remember how I killed them now, probably seven dust. The three chicks that lived were all roosters, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. I still have them. The partridges are really quite lovely I think, or is that handsome?
Z you are such a great lady. No telling how many people you've helped on here.
I don't use DE on my birds anymore.. especially in this weather! It can cause respiratory problems real quick.. I will never make my birds breathe that stuff again.
I use the poultry dust... Put a dash on their back and rub it under their wings.. and flip em upside down and give a sprinkle on their hind end..
That is... after bathing.. like Haystack said.
And I dust their bedding and roosts.. OR spray them with Adam's Flea & Tick.. but that spray alone didn't do a thing to help.. it seems to work better to keep them clear after treatment. I only use pyrethrin or Sevin dust for treatment.
Adam's is at Walmart cheap..
A "maintenance" schedule is to go in at night when they are roosting and spray butts and under wings like twice a month.. That's about the most I do when there is a problem.
Thank you LFJ that is sweet.. and really gave me a huge smile.
Thank you all.
ZZ, I used Sevin (is that th same as poultry dust?), and will get the flea spray for maintenance. The MomHen seems to be non-crawling now, and the peeps still peeping. And yes, they'll probably be roosters, that's how it works *G*.
I'll add the dust to the bedding in all the houses.