BCM roo with infected wattles

[PeepingK]

Hey guys,
I posted about my roo a couple weeks ago because I noticed that he had lost quite a bit of weight and had his feathers picked out. I solved the feather picking problem but the weight issue is still present.
I think I figured out what the problem is.. he got frostbite on his wattles over the winter and they never seemed to fully heal. About 2 months ago they looked almost completely back to normal but since then they’ve gotten so much worse. My theory is that the reason he’s lost so much weight is because his wattles are really sore and bothering him (I see him shaking his head often) and hitting the feeder when he tries to eat. They look a bit swollen and feel warm to the touch with big scabs so I’m thinking they’re probably infected?
My question is how do I help them heal? They’ve been like this for months so they’re obviously not going to get any better on their own. Should I peel the scabs off and apply polysporin?

Thank you

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

I'm sorry to hear your boy isn't feeling well. He's quite handsome.

I wouldn't peel the scabs off, but you can soften them with some triple antibiotic applied daily. That one point on his comb must be painful, too. You could use the triple antibiotic on that too. You could also use Vaseline or Bag Balm, though, they wouldn't have the antibiotic properties.

Have you checked for mites? The head shaking and weight loss are classic symptoms of mites. Northern Fowl Mites would be on your boy and the Red Mites hiding in the coop crevices since I believe they feed on the birds at night.

Maybe he has big ears, but they look kind of puffy to me. Is it possible he has an ear infection? If you can, pull back the ear feathers and take a peek and see if they look gnarly,

Regarding the food dish, you could try to switch him to a dog dish so he's not slapping he comb and wattles against the feeder. I had to do that for my big wattle and comb boys.