Hi everyone! I live in Ontario, Canada, and first time chicken keeper. On Saturday I noticed our chickens had a case of chicken lice, which we ended treating by dusting them with *food grade* diatomaceous earth. We also stripped the coop from all bedding, sprinkled with DE, let it sit for an hour, swept it/vacuumed it all out, placed new bedding and only then let the chickens back inside. I know DE is controversial, but here in Ontario the government recently pulled basically all sprays, treatments, antibiotics and medications, including any and all products I found suggested by our dear American friends on this forum (like Red Stop, Chicken Shield, etc.) The feed store, TSC and even the vet I called all said our only option was DE (or an oral medication that the vet wanted to sell me for a million dollars a bottle lol). Anyway, I checked one of the birds yesterday and the were no more live lice crawling all over her, just more thatched eggs (I realize I'll have to treat again in 7-10 days to kill those when they hatch). However, I noticed on Sunday that my rooster was trying to crow and he couldn't! The sound that came out of his beak was like someone who has lost his voice due to a sore throat. He seemed confused but was otherwise acting normal, eating, and could make his other normal chicken "clucks". The hens also seemed normal. Today the weather is miserable so they are all inside the coop cowering against the freezing rain (can't blame them), but they seem ok otherwise.
Could the diatomaceous earth have caused sufficient irritation to my rooster to make him lose his voice, or am I dealing with a respiratory infection? Either way, what do I do about the throat (not about the lice, I think we got that under control)? No meds available!
I posted some pics of the lice, but also of our dog on duty (he cornered a raccoon yesterday who was trying to get chicken buffet yesterday! Didn't touch the coon, just kept him cornered so we could deal with it. So proud of him!)
Thank you for your help!
*Edit*
I am not so worried about dealing with the lice as I didn't see any surviving critters and my neighbor just gave me some cattle dust he has had for a while which he says works for chickens as well (he's also a chicken farmer). I can use that for subsequent treatment in a few days. I'm more concerned about the health of my roo and if DE could have caused him to lose his voice or of in dealing with a respiratory infection.
Could the diatomaceous earth have caused sufficient irritation to my rooster to make him lose his voice, or am I dealing with a respiratory infection? Either way, what do I do about the throat (not about the lice, I think we got that under control)? No meds available!
I posted some pics of the lice, but also of our dog on duty (he cornered a raccoon yesterday who was trying to get chicken buffet yesterday! Didn't touch the coon, just kept him cornered so we could deal with it. So proud of him!)
Thank you for your help!
*Edit*
I am not so worried about dealing with the lice as I didn't see any surviving critters and my neighbor just gave me some cattle dust he has had for a while which he says works for chickens as well (he's also a chicken farmer). I can use that for subsequent treatment in a few days. I'm more concerned about the health of my roo and if DE could have caused him to lose his voice or of in dealing with a respiratory infection.
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