Bug infested possibly anemic rooster-help!

[BirdLeaf]

I have a very lethargic rooster, I looked very closely at him and noticed some tiny bugs crawling on his face. He’s not really moving much, so I’ve covered him in DE and massaged it down to the skin. He’s pooped today, it’s basically an orange-brown liquid. Do I force feed him? If so, how?

I’ve put some electrolytes into his water and mixed up some eggs, nutridrench, and water into some chick starter but he’s not moving, just breathing and laying on his side and moving only when touched.

 

[The Phantom]

What did the little bugs look like?
Could you post a picture?

 

[sylviethecochin]

DE isn't a treatment. It's a control. Putting DE on an infested chicken is like bailing out a ship while there's a huge hole in the side. Invest in some permethrin dust/spray and clean your coop before dusting/spraying it down.

Can you get a picture of the bugs and a picture of the poop? I won't claim to be an expert, but many people here on BYC can identify a lot using those images.

EDT: Oh, and don't force feed. Please. You're likely to drown the bird. @casportpony ?

 

[Pyxis]

It sounds like he's not in good shape

DE is not going to help, it will not in any way kill an active infestation. You need to go and pick up some Sevin dust or some permethrin dust (don't use permethrin if you have cats because it is highly toxic to them) and dust him down with that. Then, you'll need to do the rest of your birds too because if he has them they almost certainly do. Then, you need to clean the coop out and dust that down as well. All this needs to be repeated in 10 days.

You could also, instead of the dust or in conjunction with the dust, pick up Ivermectin pour on and treat him and your other birds with that. It will kill any lice and mites they have.

For the rooster, I would bring him into the house if you have not and get him settled somewhere quiet and dark. A heat lamp to provide him with extra warmth would not be a bad idea. He is possibly dehydrated, so if you can get him to drink at all that would be good. However do not try to force water down his throat as you could easily cause him to aspirate. If you have the tools for tube feeding, you might want to tube some water into him.

 

[happyhens1972]

You need to kill the bugs immediately to have any chance of saving him, It sounds like he is severely anaemic and the continuing infestation will kill him. The DE is not fast acting or efficient enough. You need to use permethrin and quickly! You need to make sure he is good and warm...if he is in shut down, his temperature will be dropping and then any food will not be digested, even if he does eat. Don't force feed him but get some Nutri drench into him, as it does not need to be digested, it goes straight into the bloodstream and will give him an important boost. Be careful if you dropper the nutri drench in, as he can aspirate it. It's best to tube feed it. Give it to him every hour until he perks up but be aware that if he is laying on his side and is unresponsive, he is in a pretty bad way and is gonna need a lot of help to get through this.

 

[BirdLeaf]

This was him this morning, he pooped right as I took the picture. He has frostbite on his comb from a couple weeks ago, hence the black spots. I’ll have to run back up to the farm store and see what they have. I think all they have is DE

 

[happyhens1972]

They may have ivermectin pour on for cattle...that will kill most things but it's not as quick as permethrin. You can also get permethrin ant powder so you could check for that if they don't have a poultry specific brand. Make sure the active ingredient is permethrin though as there are ant powders with other chemicals in that are toxic to chickens.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I read a trick on here a few days ago--to hydrate a bird, apparently you can subcutaneously inject saline. Did some research, and it's an official technique So if you want to get some syringes/needles while you're there, that might help.

 

[BirdLeaf]

I read a trick on here a few days ago--to hydrate a bird, apparently you can subcutaneously inject saline. Did some research, and it's an official technique So if you want to get some syringes/needles while you're there, that might help.

I’m too afraid to inject him

 

[sylviethecochin]

All you have to do is slide the needle under the skin. I find it's easiest in the loose skin of the neck (not this specifically, I was injecting penicillin and vitamin B complexes.) It's easy. There are videos on Youtube.

Of course, I understand if you're not comfortable with it, but it is a viable option if he's dehydrated.

Incidentally, pinch his skin--if it takes more than half a second to slide back into place, he's dehydrated and you need to do something. If not, that's one good thing!