Basic Poultry Medicine and Maintenance

Cuts and Abrasions

We use Scarlet Oil or Witch Hazel to clean any cuts or injuries to the face and head.  It also helps with dry skin in the winter and makes their heads and faces look really red.  Be careful not to get any in the eyes as the antiseptics can cause irritation and burn the eyes. 

Eye Injuries and Infections

If the eye is swollen closed, gently open the eye using a clean finger or Q-tip.  Flush the eye using a saline eye drop solution, but saline in a syringe (without a needle) works well too.  If you don't have any saline on hand, flush with water.  Apply Neosporin or a generic triple antibiotic ointment to the eye.  This will help prevent infection that may result in loss of the eye or vision.  Repeat this daily until the eye heals.  If the eyeball is damaged, there may be permanent loss of vision in that eye. 

Chronic Respiratory Disease or "CRD"

CRD is a pretty common illness amongst chickens.  It can be brought on due to a suppressed immune system in times of stress, such as during the molt, mite and worm infestations, and malnutrition.  Chicks can develop CRD symptoms from becoming wet or chilled.

Signs and symptoms of CRD are: 

• Runny nose
• Bubbles in they eyes
• Coughing and sneezing
• Rattling when breathing.  Might not be heard until the chicken is on the roost at night or until the chicken becomes winded and is breathing harder (i.e. from running while trying to catch bird).
• A "humped up" or sulky appearance.

Treatment

We medicate our newly hatched chicks with LS-50 for the first 7 days of life in their water.  This helps the chicks to ward off the illness while they are young and vulnerable to infection.  If symptoms are noticed in older chicks after being treated at birth, another round is given in drinking water for another week.  In adult chickens, we treat with Tylan 50 injectable.  It comes in different concentrations, 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml, and so on.  Ours is a 100mg/ml vial (every cc or ml contains 100 mg of medication.)  The recommended dosage for poultry is 35ml/kg, or basically that 35mg of medicine is needed for every kilogram of body weight.  To convert pounds to kilograms divide the weight of the chicken in pounds by 2.2.  Then multiply the weight in kilograms by 35 and you'll get the correct dosage.  Our chickens weigh around 4-5.5 lbs (some hens a little less, some roosters a little more).  We give 1cc and that is a little more than what they need based on their body weight but it has always worked really well for us.  It cures them every time.  Using preferably an insulin needle as the gauge of the needle is smaller and penetrates the skin easier while making a smaller hole.  The bigger the puncture, the more painful the injection and the more medicine is leaked out and not absorbed.  A 27-29 gauge, 1/2 inch needle works well.  In an insulin needle 100 units is equal to 1 cc or ml.  Inject into the breast muscle to the left or the right of the breast bone, then follow up with another injection in 24-48 hours.  May be given daily for up to 7-10 days.

Once poultry is exposed to CRD they are always carriers, even if they recover from the symptoms.  In times of stress or suppressed immunity the illness can flare up again.  Prevention requires proper care and nutrition.  Keeping the birds worm and mite free is important.  During the molt, keep handling to a minimum because it is uncomfortable for the birds during that time.

Worms

We treat all of our chickens at least once a year for worms even if they all appear healthy and show no outward signs of worms.  We do this usually around the time when the birds are molting as that is when their immune systems are at their lowest.  During the molt, chickens are using extra protein and vitamins to make new feathers.  If they have worms depleting their bodies of nutrients during this time they can become malnourished and have a harder time during the molt.  A chicken with worms will usually be thin with pale comb, wattles, and face.  Bloody or watery stools may be noticed and live worms may be passed in the stools.  We treat with Wormazole (fenbendazole) capsules for the adult birds or Wazine liquid wormer in the drinking water for chickens 6wks and older.  To administer a capsule, open the chickens mouth and put the capsule into the throat.  Push the capsule gently into the throat with your finger to prevent the chicken from spitting it back out.  It will then swallow the capsule.  Some chickens will gladly eat the capsule off the ground themselves, especially if they are hungry.  The capsules can also be opened and mixed with a cc/ml of water and administered orally with a syringe.   Wormazole kills tape, round, and cecal worms, and Wazine kills only roundworms.  Mix 2 oz Wazine to every 2 gallons of water.  Retreat again in 10 days to kill any newly hatched worms.

Mites

 There are two different types of mites that infest chickens, the Red Mite and the Northern Fowl Mite.  Infestations are more common in warmer months but can occur anytime throughout the year.  The mites are almost always brought in by wild birds, but can also be carried in by newly purchased or obtained chickens infested with mites.  We go through and inspect each of our chickens carefully several times a year for mite infestation.    We look at the skin and the feathers around the birds' vent thoroughly and a mite infestation is usually pretty obvious.  There will be visible mites on the feathers and skin, and often there will be clumps of scabbed tissue, feathers, and droppings around the area.  Most of the time, unless the infestation is really early there are mites in enormous concentrations around the vent area.  Some signs that a chicken may be infested with mites is paleness of the comb and wattles, decreased activity and a sulky "humped up" appearance.  An infested bird may hold his or her tail lower and an increase in preening of the feathers may be noticed (especially around the vent area.)  Usually if we find one bird infested with mites we go ahead and treat the entire flock as a precaution.  If straw is used as litter in pens, be careful where the straw is purchased.  If the straw was stored where it can come into contact with wild birds, it can be infested with mites and will then infest your chickens.

Treatment for Mites


We use several different products that are all effective at killing mites.  Sevin dust is an excellent product and can be found at any farm supply store, Lowe's or Walmart.  It is used in gardens to kill and repel bugs, but also works exceptionally well to treat mites.  We buy it in the bags but it also comes in a canister that can be sprinkled on the birds.  What we do is put the Sevin dust in a small bucket and just go from chicken to chicken until all are treated.  Take the chicken by the legs and hold the legs with one hand.  Rest the chicken's breast on the ground or another surface and use your free hand to dust the chicken.  Start at the vent rubbing the dust into the feathers down to the skin thoroughly.  We pluck any clumps away from the vent area.  Dust the tail feathers, the feathers under the wings, on the thighs, back, saddle, and hackle feathers.  Cover every square inch of the chicken if possible, taking care not to get a lot of the dust in their eyes as it can be irritating.  The pen, roost, and any nest boxes will also have to be treated.  Even if your chickens are not infested with mites I recommend adding a little Sevin dust to nest box straw or wood shavings as a precautionary measure as broody hens always seem the most prone to mite infestations, especially free ranging ones.

Permectrin (our bottle says Permectrin II) diluted with water in a pressure sprayer also works well for treating the pen area, roost, and nest boxes.  Permectrin can be used as a dip too, but this is the chickens' least favorite treatment.  Just follow the directions for dilution on the bottle.  Adams flea and tick spray for dogs is a good treatment for mites also and we alternate between that and seven dust and both work very effectively.  After the initial treatment you will need to re-treat the chicken in 6 days.  If the infestation is severe, a third treatment may be necessary to kill any newly hatched mites.

Scaly Leg Mites

Scaly Leg Mites live under the scales of a chicken's shanks (legs) and feet.  They are spread by direct contact and cause irritation to the skin which causes the scales to become thick and rough looking.  We have used several different things to treat this type of mite.  Red Scarlet Oil helps to smother the mite and works quite well.  Take a washcloth with scarlet oil and apply a generous amount to the legs and gently rub it into the scales with the washcloth.  Treat every few days and after a week or so all of the mites under the scales should be dead.  Vet RX is another good treatment for scaly leg mites and the application is the same as the scarlet oil.  I have heard that Adams flea and tick spray works well for scaly leg mites but we've never used it for that purpose but I'd say any insecticide would work.  As long as you work it into the scales good I'd say it would work quite well.  Same applies to Seven dust and Permectrin. Vet RX and Scarlet oil can be purchased at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply. 

I've heard that straw is the major culprit for Scaly Leg Mites in chickens so again be careful where you purchase your straw.  If it has come into contact with wild birds, more than likely it is infested with mites and isn't worth the aggravation.  The straw can be treated (dusted) with Seven dust as a preventative measure if you want to be extra careful.  If the straw has been stored in a barn or building then odds are it should be okay.