# Chicken Sick; not sure of problem!



## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

Ok I went to let the chickens out one morning last week. Everyone ran out except 1 girl was on the floor of the coop very cold. I took her inside. She immediately warmed up and I noticed she had like a sweaty type of feathers in next 2 hours. So she may have had a fever!
I started immediately giving nutri-drench every few hours and offering food but she refused food . Well after 2-3 days she regained strength I got powder to treat for mites because another “group” told me probably mites. Although I never saw any. 
Well the next weird thing was I noticed all her skin was peeling off in huge pieces over chest, thighs, under wings! ive read where one person had this happen and thought it was vent fleet really bad. So I started Monistat, probiotics, nystatin powder. She is starting to barely eat and drink. She’s still very skinny. 
Does anyone know what this may be? Have you seen a chickens skin peel off in large sections? I’m afraid to put her back (eventually) with the other chickens. If she continues to get better the next step is her own pen maybe with a sister. But I would like to hear anyone’s experiences with what it may have been. THANKS!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've never heard of anything like that. It's one thing if it was near the vent but to be in those areas is concerning. Pics would have been helpful in this situation.

Any chance at all of her seeing a vet? This is one of those situations that I don't think an internet forum should be tossing out suggestions without more information. It's possible there is something she is reacting to. Or a disease that can affect them. I just don't know.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Welcome to the forum! What Robin said, you most likely need a vet to examine her.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I went digging for skin sloughing off but couldn't find anything. I know of a lot that can cause it in humans but not in chickens.

This could be some sort of parasitic problem. Not the mites you can see with your eyes but microscopic parasites. It could be a disease process. But without a skin biopsy there's just no way to know for certain.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

Ok I had saved 1 piece of the gross skin from 2 days ago. She's still got about 1/4 of the skin that's in process of coming off, but not off yet. In most of those areas it's gone and new skin is there.

I do think it's some sort of yeast problem more than likely. The one article that I found that says if it's not treated it will take over the entire chicken and kill it. It was an article of someone asking about their chicken. Their chicken looked like mine except theirs also had the skin on its head peeling. Someone replied after the original posters chicken died. They said they were from UK and that yeast infection medicine should be applied and treated internally. I will see if I can find the article and link it.

I'm also wondering if she possibly picked the skin off her vent before I saw it peeling. She seems to peck At herself in the evening and she's ate a lot of Monistat but she's feeling better!! She has a lot more spunk than she had last week. Last week she was almost a dead chicken.

thanks and I hope this pic of her skin rings a bell with someone!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not even a little bit. Not only yeast can cause something like that. It's why I suggested the vet and a skin biopsy or scraping. 

Mange are microscopic mites. You can't see them without a microscope but they can cause a canine to lose all of their hair. She could have something similar going on and without knowing what it is is just tossing stuff at her blindly.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

I forgot to mention, me and my husband both had covid during Christmas. This is when the gal was sick. We are both Thankfully better. And quarantine ends tomorrow. I will see what I can do about finding a vet to diagnose. This girl is us walking (in my bathroom in a tote) and eating!! Yay!! But I’m afraid the others may go down quickly like she did!! So I’ll have it checked and keep you updated. Thank you!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I hope you've both recovered fully. Being sick and taking care of the critters is hard. 

Tell them what you see, maybe see if you can send an email with the pic of the sloughing skin and feathers. Usually farm vets are more willing to look at our birds so if you have any nearby that's who I'd start with.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

I wanted to add a couple of pics of her comb. It had some injury to it last week. I was afraid the other chickens had pecked her.
However after reading about mites, it could be damage from mites. Does her comb give you any clues?
Tomorrow I plan to reach out to a vet. Thanks again!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The color of her comb is coming across on my screen as not being the red it should be. It looks bluish towards the back and on the tip ends. This could all be part of whatever she's got going on so I don't think that's mite damage. 

At least not the visible mites we treat.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

And tonight I went to check on the girl. I saw her once again pecking at her thighs. I realized in her tote was these pieces of skin she had pulled off!! This is was I saw about 4 days ago and threw them away. These are pretty much all that's left of her skin that was remaining. Her thighs have new skin on them!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

She needs a vet. It's the only way to get a definitive answer. Maybe. 

It might be something as easy as putting Ivermectin on her or a another issue that needs a totally different approach. It could be an allergic reaction to something. Her problem is so unusual I don't think you're going to find answers this way.

Has she got feathers growing back where she's lost all of the skin and feathers? Can you do a pic of those areas?


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

These are some pics we took tonight.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This is about the weirdest thing. I'd expect skin that appears irritated but hers doesn't seem to be at all. 

And why was she so sick?


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

Ok something hit me when you said maybe allergic reaction. The first day that I found her sick everyone said treat for mite. I looked in her feathers. I saw a lot of black dirt, nothing moving. And a very very few tiny white looking specks on the shaft of a couple of feathers. 
So this is when is mixed pyrethrum for dogs and cats. I mixed one gallon to 4 oz. like it said. I squirted about 2 teaspoons on her neck (maybe under wings, I can’t remember for sure). Then I put about 2 more teaspoons of water immediately to dilute in case that recommended dose was too strong for chickens. She is losing skin under wings and thighs mostly. And the mix would run down her thighs. So was this too strong for chickens. 
I really appreciate all your help Robin with this problem! You have been amazing!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Teisa said:


> Ok something hit me when you said maybe allergic reaction. The first day that I found her sick everyone said treat for mite. I looked in her feathers. I saw a lot of black dirt, nothing moving. And a very very few tiny white looking specks on the shaft of a couple of feathers.
> So this is when is mixed pyrethrum for dogs and cats. I mixed one gallon to 4 oz. like it said. I squirted about 2 teaspoons on her neck (maybe under wings, I can't remember for sure). Then I put about 2 more teaspoons of water immediately to dilute in case that recommended dose was too strong for chickens. She is losing skin under wings and thighs mostly. And the mix would run down her thighs. So was this too strong for chickens.
> I really appreciate all your help Robin with this problem! You have been amazing!


That makes sense.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's possible she reacted to it but I would still expect to see pink, irritated skin underneath. But that's what I would expect with a human allergic reaction.

No, if the bottle you said to mix it that way it should have been completely safe for her. What I should correct here is that it wasn't mixed overly strong. Not that she couldn't react to it. If it was mites she needs to be retreated to catch eggs hatching. But with what? You could try Ivermectin pour on, 1/2 CC on the skin at the back of the neck. Then watch her carefully. 

Have some children's Benadryl on hand just in case. 

That also doesn't explain why she was so sick. Or maybe it does if it was mites. 

She's a mystery. But appears to be a fighter with her human's help.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

Ok I will retreat with Ivermectin. She was clucking away the last 2 mornings when she heard the girls outside! She’s feeling so much better. When it’s warmer, I’ll put her back out. She’s eating on her own and drinking. She had a will to live for sure!! Thank you nice people!! 
Btw my husbands first name is Robin!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

What's warmer to you? Here it won't be warm for a two or three months. 

You're going to have to do something that keeps her integrated back into the flock. Maybe free ranging during the day.


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## Teisa (Jan 9, 2021)

robin416 said:


> What's warmer to you? Here it won't be warm for a two or three months.
> 
> You're going to have to do something that keeps her integrated back into the flock. Maybe free ranging during the day.


I live in Tn, today we have snow but next week it will be 50 degrees, I will let her free range with them when snow melts. We did it 2 times this weekend. She was a little weak!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yeah, being confined to a small space they get just like us when we stay parked on the couch. 

Whoohoo, glad I don't live in TN anymore.


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