My chicken has fleas!! Help

[Confusion77]

Hello, I "inherited" a chicken a few months ago. Small, cross breed bantam.

She's laid soft shelled eggs the last few days, and a shell less egg yesterday. She's tricky to catch, but today I noticed poop around her bum on her feathers, so have been stalking her. I cleaned as much up as I could, and noticed she's quite bald under there, and on her chest. While parting the feathers under her bum to clean them up (once the worst was off) I noticed loads of fleas. Ugh. Poor chicken. I had diatomaceous earth, which I have sprinkled all over her under wings etc. Thoroughly cleaned and washed her house, will put new bedding in once it's dried.

Is there anything else I can do? And what do I need to get to get rid of the fleas? Is the D.earth enough?

[Confusion77]

Thanks, that's what I'd thought.

[Tensixtysix]

Cut back on treats. Layer pellets are the best.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Maybe cut back on treats, she really should be eating the layers pellets.

[Confusion77]

Thank you, she has access to grit all of the time. She doesn't really eat the layers pellets. I throw her some corn, mealworms, sunflower seeds so will perhaps cut back on those to encourage her to eat the pellets. She has the run of the garden so scratches around a lot too.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

The shell less eggs aren’t probably related to the fleas. Sounds like she needs more grit. You can get crushed oyster shells to feed to her. That will strengthen her shells again.

The shell less eggs are safe to eat, but cut it with a knife into a bowl or something.

[Confusion77]

No, it's definitely fleas. They look like standard fleas only orangy brown.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Is it chicken mites,?

[Confusion77]

Great, thank you. I have been doing that periodically anyway, but seemingly to no avail. How does a solitary chicken even get fleas??

[HennyPennyHorror]

www.tillysnest.com/2013/07/backyard-chickens-and-fleas-html/

This is a good article. It recommends sprinkling the Diatemacious Earth around the coop and house too as well as spraying apple cider vinegar on the chicken...there are other tips too.