Posted 1x with reply last week. One reply, really need help!

[Cee]

My rooster has a red preen gland. Bright red skin going up his back and below his vent. He is in pain. His feathers are all dry an frizzy looking in the areas where his skin is red and they are breaking off ! There is no evidence of mites. I tried some triple antibiotic ointment with no improvement.
I've always had such good support here and been so grateful.
I am so worried about him.
Please please please please can somebody help him?

 

[Pyxis]

What are you feeding? Sometimes a Vitamin A deficiency can cause issues with the preen gland. Signs of a Vitamin A deficiency include ruffled feathers and rough dry skin, which you are seeing.

Vitamin A deficiency can also be caused when a chicken has a high parasite load, so I suggest you deworm him and your whole flock. A good broad spectrum dewormer to use would be Safeguard Liquid for goats. It must be given directly to each bird, and a rate of .23 mls per pound of body weight.

 

[Cee]

Everybody is eating Dumor 16% Layer Pellet. Purina Flock Block Poultry.
Manna Pro Omega Eggmaker Laying Hen Supplement.
Purina Flock Block Poultry Supplement.
Occasional garden greens and bugs.
I have those big Home Depot bucket waterers with the red plastic nipples on the sides.
Advice on how to administer medicine? Take out the plastic buckets and exchange with? I have 22 chickens. Everyone but my sweet rooster look just fine.

 

[Cee]

Oh, administer directly. I can go to tractor and get the medicine there?

 

[AprilsZoo]

Yes, they should have Safeguard @ Tractor Supply.

 

[Cee]

I should add I only looked on him for mites. This is my first flock. They are a year old. So I could be missing things. How does one look for mites that are not on a chicken?
I am willing to go and get de-worming medicine asap after work tomorrow.
I have left over permethrin from when I bought 3 hens from a lady. The hens had scaly leg mites.

 

[SusanMc]

I put coconut oil on dry skin. Any thoughts on that ?

 

[Pyxis]

Might as well dust everyone for mites and lice too even if you don't see them, it can't hurt. I'd dust everyone down and do the coop as well. Then repeat in ten days.

So DuMor isn't the best feed, nutritionally. To help him along at least for now you might want to switch to a feed like Naturewise. Maybe the Hearty Hen, since it has higher protein. Or even All Flock, and just offer oyster shell on the side.

Maybe also pick up something like Poultry Cell that you can add to his water, to help supplement his Vitamin A.

 

[Cee]

I was going to spray the chickens with the permithrin as I'd read here about that. I can spray the coop too. I am just hesitant to do it if he doesn't have mites. Is there a way to look for mites that don't live on the birds?
As for diet, thanks so much I had no idea that I bought something that was not great. Does All Flock come in pellet form? I can't seem to find it on the tractor website. I had been using the All Flock crumble and switched to Pellet last month as the crumble was making such a mess and getting wasted. I appreciate your suggestions.

 

[Cee]

@Wyorp Rock