NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

You need to treat the coop too. The nasty thing with mites is they get off the birds and into the coop and live in the litter and wood. Also, DE is a good preventative, but it doesn't kill adult mites well. You need to dust with something strong like Sevin. My advice is buy some Sevin, dust all your birds. Then tear the coop apart, wash it with gentle soap and water, change the litter, and dust itall over with the Seven our better yet spray it with the Permethrin since it will get into gaps in the wood better than the Seven will. Repeat in seven to ten days because this won't kill the eggs, so you need to go again when they hatch to completely wipe them out or you will just end up reinfested.

x2...If you're not treating the coop then you're just throwing them back in there with the mites. I had a coop for my silkies that I was able to fit in my shed this winter. I dealt with mites in their crest feathers all winter long. I finally removed them from the coop, removed the coop from the shed and just set them up in a pen in the shed. they're doing much better and I haven't seen any mites. I think because they are now in the "open" rather than being in a coop where humidity and moisture can collect. But I knew I wouldn't be able to clean out that coop in the middle of winter so it's just sitting outside now until it warms up. I don't plan on using it at all actually. I may turn it into something else and remove the run and just the house part something. Who knows. But either way, you need to disinfect that coop.

 

[Breella]

Went out to the coop to collect eggs and the falcon was overhead! I waved my shovel at it and yelled. Dogs didn't seem bothered however I am. The snowfall has caused my overhang that I built to sag a bit and my overhead fencing has some gaps now. I need a good thaw so that I can fix everything. I'm going to have to go back to locking the girls in at night, they're not going to like that.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm actually a little nervous about them since it's so cold out. Metzer said they would only contact me if the couldn't ship. I never received anything from them so I'll be stopping in the PO tomorrow with my fingers crossed that they are all healthy and made trip. I've been reading a lot of threads and reviews on Metzer and I have yet to come across any that had bad luck with them. I even read that IF just one doesn't make the trip they will send another 2 out so the one they are sending as a replacement isn't alone and has some warmth.

Well I certainly wouldn't want just two coming right now. I'm holding off on my hatching eggs because of this so called Arctic Vortex. I had hoped to have them sent next month on the 6th, but I may ask to hold off since it's expected to be cold.

Well if anything does happen and they say they're sending two then we'll just have to order a couple of geeses.

 

[rancher hicks]

You need to treat the coop too. The nasty thing with mites is they get off the birds and into the coop and live in the litter and wood. Also, DE is a good preventative, but it doesn't kill adult mites well. You need to dust with something strong like Sevin. My advice is buy some Sevin, dust all your birds. Then tear the coop apart, wash it with gentle soap and water, change the litter, and dust itall over with the Sevin or better yet spray it with the Permethrin since it will get into gaps in the wood better than the Sevin will. Repeat in seven to ten days because this won't kill the eggs, so you need to go again when they hatch to completely wipe them out or you will just end up reinfested.

Edited to add treating them in intervals like that wouldn't work anyway because as you put them back in with non-treated birds they'd just get reinfested. Spraying them kills the bugs on them but doesn't make them immune to reinfestation after. As soon as it wore off they'd just have them again. Mites are nasty little things.

My brothers pigeon coops were always white washed inside. I'd thought if I were to have to clean in such a way, I'd locked the birds in the run, sleep on a cot in the yard and do the whole coop and let it sit for a day or two. Of course would have to be in warmer weather. I'll check to see what my brothers used. One is still alive and in NC.

 

[rancher hicks]

Went out to the coop to collect eggs and the falcon was overhead! I waved my shovel at it and yelled. Dogs didn't seem bothered however I am. The snowfall has caused my overhang that I built to sag a bit and my overhead fencing has some gaps now. I need a good thaw so that I can fix everything. I'm going to have to go back to locking the girls in at night, they're not going to like that.

I always lock them in at night. Be sure to keep the Falcon over your way.

 

[AQHAchick22]

I just went out to check on the chickens when I got home from work and noticed that my Egyptian Fayoumi roo has HORRIBLE frost bite on his feet, bleeding and black and gross. I checked everyone over and he's the only one out of 33 chickens with frost bitten feet. I have no idea why it's only him. Any idea's of what I should do? Should I bring him in and bandage his feet and leave him in the house in a crate for awhile?

I'm going to do a search on it as well but maybe someone has experience with this?

 

[Breella]

I always lock them in at night. Be sure to keep the Falcon over your way.

Since my run is attached and, until the snow broke it, had been fully fenced in I had stopped locking them up.

 

[marquisella]

I just went out to check on the chickens when I got home from work and noticed that my Egyptian Fayoumi roo has HORRIBLE frost bite on his feet, bleeding and black and gross. I checked everyone over and he's the only one out of 33 chickens with frost bitten feet. I have no idea why it's only him. Any idea's of what I should do? Should I bring him in and bandage his feet and leave him in the house in a crate for awhile?

I'm going to do a search on it as well but maybe someone has experience with this?

I think you should take him inside & put antibiotic on his feet and bandage. You don't want infection to set in. He probably stood in something wet or out in snow if he goes out too long.

Its bitter cold outside, I'd bring him inside for sure, or at least in out of the cold like in a garage. His feet need to get the circulation going again. Its probably good that it is bleeding, means that the blood is still getting to the tissues....so, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV...just my instincts.

 

[JLaw]

I just went out to check on the chickens when I got home from work and noticed that my Egyptian Fayoumi roo has HORRIBLE frost bite on his feet, bleeding and black and gross. I checked everyone over and he's the only one out of 33 chickens with frost bitten feet. I have no idea why it's only him. Any idea's of what I should do? Should I bring him in and bandage his feet and leave him in the house in a crate for awhile?

 
I'm going to do a search on it as well but maybe someone has experience with this?

Bring inside neosporin and light vet wrap. You can soak in room temp water. You dont want hot. When blisters come up dont pop them if you can. Change bandage daily. Depending on how bad may loose some toes or foot. Load a pic if you want. The girl i thought was going to loose a toe just messed up the joint and now is crooked. Google frosbite chicken foot there are good guides out there. It takes months for it to heal. My girl is just now almost done and she got at one od the first big storms.

 

[marquisella]

I thought I'd try to explain how Ivermectin works, no matter why type you use.

It is absorbed by the body, either orally, or transdermal. Doses usually last a month. So, when a mite or lice bites the bird, it ingests the ivermectin and it dies.

The mites & lice need to bite the bird in order for the ivermectin to get into their system, where it kills them.

So, it may take a while before you see complete regress of the parasites. That is for external parasites.

For the worms, it is recommended you retreat in 14 days.

Especially during cold weather, the external parasites can go dormant. So, if you treat, and then a month later you still see them, they were probably dormant and recently became active.Treat again.

Yes, its good to clean out the coop as well, as they hide in small crevices, etc. in the wood. That is one good thing about plastic coops, no places for bugs to hide.

Now, Ivermectin doesn't work on either, and I don't remember which one, biting or sucking lice. There are 2 types. Best to ask your vet which one it doesn't work on.

I know this because I once took in a rescued horse, that a week later, was covered in lice. I had to use a rose flower antifungal because it was the type that Ivermectin didn't work on.

Ivermectin is used in 3rd world countries on humans, so you don't have to worry about withdrawal time. I've gotten it on my skin, probably, every time I use it, with no problems. I assume I'm worm free...

I hope this helps

ps some people use horse wormer with ivermectin as the active ingredient and give a pea sized drop orally to the chickens. Its anecdotal, as I haven't used it that way.