Pullet has Wry neck, a rattling breath, and millions of lice. Can anyone help? she is about to die

[MelissaRose]

Hello all!
I have a pullet that is about six or seven months old and she recently developed a case of wry neck(I think). She also has a rattling breath and does some open mouth breathing and gasping. She also has millions of lice that I am trying to treat. I am not joking about the millions, I was holding her for a few minutes and I got covered in them. If you separate her feathers on any part of her body you can see ten+ lice crawling around. She also has clumps of louse eggs on some feathers. And she has a sore foot, not sure what is wrong with it.

To make it easy for all of you to quickly see all that is wrong with her, here is a list:

• Wry neck
• LICE
• rattling breath and sometimes open mouth breathing/gasps
• Sore foot
• No longer wants to eat or drink

My family and I are usually against chemical treatments and things but I think today we are going to buy her some louse treatment just because her lice are SO bad. Would permethrine (Sorry not sure about spelling) work? I know it is toxic to cats and bees but we kind of have an emergency.

About her wry neck:
She developed this a few days ago. She has been not doing well for about a week maybe more She has not been able to get on the roost and then in the morning after she would eat she would just stand there all day not doing anything. I can get pictures if needed. Her head and neck just curl to her left and she doesn't seem to be able to straighten it. She ate and drank yesterday but today she does not want to. I got her to drink a few sips of water from a spoon but thats it. Her crop is empty.
I gave her a bath this morning hoping to make a dent in the lice. A lot of lice drown but she still seems to have as many as she did before the bath.

I honestly do not expect her to live, but I am rooting for her and will do anything I can to help her. A vet is not an option though. Does anyone have any tips to help me help her survive?
Sorry if this post is confusing or does not make sense. And sorry about any typos. I wrote it as fast as I could. I will answer any questions.

Thanks,
MelissaRose

 

[BGcoop]

Yes the permethrin powder will help with the lice, but you will probably have to treat all your birds because if one has them they all will, also don’t forget to treat again in 10ish days to kill any new hatched lice. Sorry I can’t help with your other problems.

 

[MelissaRose]

Yes the permethrin powder will help with the lice, but you will probably have to treat all your birds because if one has them they all will, also don’t forget to treat again in 10ish days to kill any new hatched lice. Sorry I can’t help with your other problems.

Thats ok, thanks for your help!

 

[DobieLover]

I am so sorry she is suffering from so many issues.
If your bird is also showing signs of respiratory distress, you might want to consider the Ivermectin Spot on treatment for the lice vs using a powder. She should be kept in a warm, dry, quiet location. Can you put her in a bathroom in a wire crate with a soft towel under her? She needs to be kept warm.
I would give her about 1.5 mls of Poultry Nutri-drench or Rooster Booster orally.
Cut open a 400 IU vitamin E capsule and squeeze it over a cooked egg then add lots of water to make it a thin paste and offer her that.
For the time being, I wouldn't worry about her foot as she should be kept confined until she is feeling better.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a pullet that is about six or seven months old and she recently developed a case of wry neck(I think). She also has a rattling breath and does some open mouth breathing and gasping. She also has millions of lice that I am trying to treat.

She also has clumps of louse eggs on some feathers. And she has a sore foot, not sure what is wrong with it.

• Wry neck

• LICE

• rattling breath and sometimes open mouth breathing/gasps

• Sore foot

• No longer wants to eat or drink

About her wry neck:
She developed this a few days ago. She has been not doing well for about a week maybe more She has not been able to get on the roost and then in the morning after she would eat she would just stand there all day not doing anything. I can get pictures if needed. Her head and neck just curl to her left and she doesn't seem to be able to straighten it.

Please post some photos.
Yes, get her treated for the lice, get some Permenthrin poultry dust or spray. Treat all you chickens and housing. You received very good advice about that a week or more ago on your other thread.

She is poorly, so it's risky giving a bath. Make sure she is dried well with a hairdryer and kept warm.

What type of food/treats do you feed? I agree with giving her vitamins to see if that will help with the symptoms of wry neck. Get her hydrated, then offer her some food.

 

[MelissaRose]

Thank you all for your help. The pullet, Janet, died.

 

[HenHouse4Life]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Were you able to treat the rest of the flock and the coop?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you all for your help. The pullet, Janet, died.

I'm so sorry for your loss

Were you able to get some Permethrin so you can treat your flock and housing?

 

[HenHouse4Life]

 

[chicklove14]

I am so sorry, it is scary when this happens