diatomaceous earth stuck in chickens' nostril

[noisegeyser]

Kind of a weird situation. I rubbed diatomaceous earth into my birds' feathers to control a lice problem and prevent it from getting worse, and after preening a bit my rooster has a small clump of it stuck right next to the actual opening of his nostril. The opening is too narrow to get at with a wet q-tip, does anyone know of a good way I can remove it without stressing him out too much? Or is it going to hurt him if I leave it there? The opening itself is still clear, the DE is just right next to and slightly obscuring it. I know too much DE is a bad thing, he isn't having any problems breathing.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Would you be able to post a picture? That may give people a better idea of what they're working with.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Kind of a weird situation. I rubbed diatomaceous earth into my birds' feathers to control a lice problem and prevent it from getting worse, and after preening a bit my rooster has a small clump of it stuck right next to the actual opening of his nostril. The opening is too narrow to get at with a wet q-tip, does anyone know of a good way I can remove it without stressing him out too much? Or is it going to hurt him if I leave it there? The opening itself is still clear, the DE is just right next to and slightly obscuring it. I know too much DE is a bad thing, he isn't having any problems breathing.

If you can post some photos that may be helpful.
Likely the dirt will come off on it's own.

If you have a lice problem, I would suggest that you treat your flock and their housing with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust. Spinosad (Elector PSP) can also be used.
Sorry to say - DE is not an effective treatment for an infestation.

 

[Kellow1]

DE does not kill lice and mites but does cause lung damage! Please find something else to use that won't harm you and your chickens. Elector PSP is the best product and it does not have any egg withdrawal involved. You spray or dip your chicks, and spray the coop with it. It only takes one treatment to fix the problem. Be prepared for a sticker shock but keep in mind that the bottle is large and the product is concentrated. It will last a long time.

 

[noisegeyser]

It did wash away on it's own after he drank a few times. I'm guessing it's probably not a good idea to use open dishes for food and water while you're using permethrin poultry dust? I know it has relatively low toxicity to birds, still not something you would want them drinking though. I'm thinking about trying nipple waterers

 

[dawg53]

It did wash away on it's own after he drank a few times. I'm guessing it's probably not a good idea to use open dishes for food and water while you're using permethrin poultry dust? I know it has relatively low toxicity to birds, still not something you would want them drinking though. I'm thinking about trying nipple waterers

Once birds are dusted, they shake themselves off and go about their business.
If your birds are confined close to waterers, remove the waterers or move the birds to a different location and dust them accordingly with the permethrin.