Help! Injured rooster. I don't know what to do anymore.

[Chippersmama]

His feet really look bad, like serious mite damage. Also have you checked the bottom of his feet for bumblefoot?

Bumblefoot?? And I'm currently treating the possible mites.

 

[Chippersmama]

Greetings Chippersmama,

Your rooster has a very severe scaley leg mite infestation. That alone can cause death, as the chicken suffers, it will stop eating then drinking. Soon frailty will set in, and it will succumb to a completely treatable condition.

He may have an injured leg...and maybe not. If you didn't feel anything out of the ordinary when you had him on his back, the leg may not be broken or dislocated. A dislocated leg will flop around. He seems to have his legs firmly tucked under him and facing forward, in the pictures.

You will notice a broken leg too, it is similar but occurs between the joints.
If you cannot establish whether he has a broken or dislocated leg, do the next best thing.

Because severe scaley leg infestation can also lame a chicken, it may be why he cannot stand on that leg.

If he were mine, the first thing I would do is:

• Fill a dish tub with warm water, add 1-2 cups of plain Epsom Salt, stir to dissolve.
• Soak the rooster's feet and legs in the Epsom Salt bath for 15 minutes, scrub with a toothbrush or some other small brush.
• Remove him from the tub, and dry the feet and legs with a clean towel.
• Mix 4 parts Petrolatum Jelly or A&D ointment (for babies), with 1 part NU-STOCK, ointment (Purchased at feed/farm stores).
• Slather the legs and feet with this ointment.
• Do this three times a week, for the first two weeks, then once a week till it clears up. This could take a month or more to heal.

You may have to treat all of your chickens, as scaley leg mites infestation is contagious.

NU-STOCK ointment is high in sulfur, which will kill the mites feasting on his flesh under the scales, as they tunnel around! Yikes! Poor boy. The Epsom Salt also has a sulfur content, and is a healing and comforting effect on the chicken.


These are my thoughts on your roosters condition. I hope they will be helpful.

Other members will offer good advice, please consider theirs too.

God Bless and peace to you.

Thanks so much. much. D.E help with the mites as well?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Thanks so much. much. D.E help with the mites as well?

Not really--it's a control, rather than treatment, and studies say it can cause respiratory problems. A far better solution is to clean your coop very regularly and do as Hen Pen Jem recommended.

You can toss permethrin dust (poultry dust, as it's sold in most feed stores) with your bedding. That works far better to kill mites rather than keep the population down.

 

[DaviJones]

Not really--it's a control, rather than treatment, and studies say it can cause respiratory problems. A far better solution is to clean your coop very regularly and do as Hen Pen Jem recommended.

You can toss permethrin dust (poultry dust, as it's sold in most feed stores) with your bedding. That works far better to kill mites rather than keep the population down.

I've been putting a handful of DE under my screen poop board to keep moisture and in turn smell down. Should I stop?

 

[DaviJones]

Greetings Chippersmama,

Your rooster has a very severe scaley leg mite infestation. That alone can cause death, as the chicken suffers, it will stop eating then drinking. Soon frailty will set in, and it will succumb to a completely treatable condition.

He may have an injured leg...and maybe not. If you didn't feel anything out of the ordinary when you had him on his back, the leg may not be broken or dislocated. A dislocated leg will flop around. He seems to have his legs firmly tucked under him and facing forward, in the pictures.

You will notice a broken leg too, it is similar but occurs between the joints.
If you cannot establish whether he has a broken or dislocated leg, do the next best thing.

Because severe scaley leg infestation can also lame a chicken, it may be why he cannot stand on that leg.

If he were mine, the first thing I would do is:

• Fill a dish tub with warm water, add 1-2 cups of plain Epsom Salt, stir to dissolve.
• Soak the rooster's feet and legs in the Epsom Salt bath for 15 minutes, scrub with a toothbrush or some other small brush.
• Remove him from the tub, and dry the feet and legs with a clean towel.
• Mix 4 parts Petrolatum Jelly or A&D ointment (for babies), with 1 part NU-STOCK, ointment (Purchased at feed/farm stores).
• Slather the legs and feet with this ointment.
• Do this three times a week, for the first two weeks, then once a week till it clears up. This could take a month or more to heal.

You may have to treat all of your chickens, as scaley leg mites infestation is contagious.

NU-STOCK ointment is high in sulfur, which will kill the mites feasting on his flesh under the scales, as they tunnel around! Yikes! Poor boy. The Epsom Salt also has a sulfur content, and is a healing and comforting effect on the chicken.


These are my thoughts on your roosters condition. I hope they will be helpful.

Other members will offer good advice, please consider theirs too.

God Bless and peace to you.

This. I know it's al ready been acknowledged but really such a great answer

 

[sylviethecochin]

I've been putting a handful of DE under my screen poop board to keep moisture and in turn smell down. Should I stop?

Whatever you like. I'm quoting studies, not personal experience. I doubt a little bit of DE is hurting anyone.

I, personally, am of the opinion that poop (diffusion of ammonia in the air) causes far more problems for chickens than a sprinkling of DE ever will. That said, Sweet PDZ has better reviews. Do your own research and find out what works best for you.

(I use hay bedding and sweep it out once a week, whether it needs it or not. Don't take me for an expert on bedding--I just read a lot.)

 

[ChickNanny13]

PDZ

 

[getaclue]

That's a very bad case of scaley leg mites. DE is going to be of no value at this point. Treatment is going to be twofold. 1. Treating the feet. I like to pour cooking oil into a container, deep enough to cover area being treated, then stand the chicken in the oil for a minute. Do this every day until it clears up, which will be about a month. You can cover the container, and reuse the oil. It will get dirty, but it's ok. Every week, change out the oil. 2 Treating the coop. Remove chickens, feeders, waterers, flooring material, nesting material, etc. Mix permethrin according to directions in a sprayer. Spray the entire coop, especially roosts, nest boxes, and poop board(s) Get every nook, and cranny you can. Repeat in 7 days. After the mites are cleared up well from the legs, in about a month, spray the coop again.

While you're at it, you might want to check under their feathers for other types of mites/lice. Some can't be seen too well with the naked eye, but the symptoms can. Look closely at the base of their feathers where they meet the skin. Does it look like a buildup of powdery stuff near the base of the feathers? That would be mites, or their eggs. I prefer to dust them in permethrin dust. I use a square container, pour in the dust, set the chicken in, and distribute the powder on the back, under the wings, and using a pinch of dust at a time, do the head area. Be careful not to get it in the eyes. This will help with the leg mites too, but not as much as the oil.

When you're treating his feet with the oil, check the bottom of them. Is there a scab, or anything not quite normal? If so, do not treat for bumblefoot until you get the scaley leg mites well under control.

 

[DaviJones]

Whatever you like. I'm quoting studies, not personal experience. I doubt a little bit of DE is hurting anyone.

I, personally, am of the opinion that poop (diffusion of ammonia in the air) causes far more problems for chickens than a sprinkling of DE ever will. That said, Sweet PDZ has better reviews. Do your own research and find out what works best for you.

(I use hay bedding and sweep it out once a week, whether it needs it or not. Don't take me for an expert on bedding--I just read a lot.)

Thanks! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't harming them too badly