rooster has stopped crowing and keeps his head down

[Larouxbestfan]

I have a rooster that I found in my abandoned barn a few weeks ago. He's been acting normally, like all my other chickens, up until very recently, as in the last few days. I'm very concerned about him.
Some points to keep in mind:
1.He has lice (not infested, but a lot of nits)
2.I've given him two baths in a mixture of apple cider vinegar + salt + dish soap in the last week to get rid of the lice (it's killed the lice but he still has a bad not problem)
3.I don't know how old he is or where he came from. I found him around my coop one random morning about 3 weeks ago and he was acting fine then.
4. We've been keeping him in our house in a bin filled with shavings for over the last week (because of his lice problem).
5. I don't change his shavings everyday.

He doesn't seem to have lost a dramatic amount of weight, but I dont think he's been eating or drinking as much as he should. His poop looks normal, though.
Back on Wednesday he started to seem lower energy. He kept his head lowered and it's only gotten worse since then. He now usually keeps his head lowered and doesn't really stand up tall anymore. He always just has his head down now.
He doesn't roost on the side of the bin anymore like he used to. He just stays in the bin with his head down all day.
He hasn't crowed AT ALL the last couple days, which is very out of character for him because he's usually crowing all the time.
He will try to rub his face I think? He'll move his head back and forth from side to side? I assumed this was because he's trying to rub off the nits or itch his face? He usually stumbles like a somersault and loses his balance while doing this.
I thought he might be lonely and brought a hen inside for him to see and he seemed a little upbeat to see a hen but definitely not himself. He seemed very low energy still.
I have no idea what's wrong with him.
Is he sick?
Is he depressed?
Does his lice or the treatment I used have anything to do with how he's acting?
Do you think i should be changing his shavings everyday and that will help things?
I just want to know what's wrong with him and what I can do to help him.
I have videos of him stumbling and laying with his head down if anyone wants to see that if it will help diagnose a problem.
I'd really appreciate help because I really don't know what to do with him!
Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

It can be hard to tell sometimes what is wrong without getting his poop tested, in case he might have coccidiosis or worms. Pictures can help us to see how he is standing with his neck low. Wry neck, Mareks disease, or something else could be possibilities. Permethrin garden dust with kill his lice on contact, and apply again in 10 days to get newly hatched lice from nits. Then examine him again in 10 days, and repeat if you see more lice.

Examine his crop to make sure he is not having a firm or puffy crop especially in the early morning before he eats.

If you cannot get poop tested, you can go ahead and treat him with Corid for coccidiosis, and then worm him with Valbazen 3/4 ml and repeat in 10 days. Corid dosage is 1 1/2 tsp of the powder into each gallon of water for 5 days.

 

[KathryninQuebec]

He just stands like this all day.
I also heard that using wood ash is a good way to get rid of lice?
View attachment 1223712

Looks like Wry Neck to me. I was just reading about it because one of my lace wing hens is doing the same thing. I thought it was an injury.
This is a great article.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wry-neck-causes-treatment-and-prevention.67732/

https://104homestead.com/herbals-essential-oils-other-natural-remedies-for-chickens/
This is a treatment suggestion I'm going to try that I got from one commenter from the link above. Good Luck

Here is what you need to treat wry neck:
Poly vi sol (without iron)
Vitamin E capsules
Selenium tablets

The Poly vi sol can be found at Walgreens in the children's vitamin section (about $11). The Vitamin E and Selenium are cheaper at Wal Mart (about $3 each).

Take the Poly Vi Sol and pour half of the bottle into a safe container. You will be storing it for later. Squeeze several (at least 5) Vitamin E capsules into the bottle with the dropper. Crush a few selenium tablets and put the powder in the bottle as well. Shake well. Give your bird half a dropper full, twice a day. You should see some improvement within 2 days. If not, add more Vitamin E and Selenium.

You can look up immages on a search. Good Luck!

 

[Larouxbestfan]

Hey, I just wanted to update you all on the situation!
He seems to be acting generally normal again. He's crowing like normal and roosting now.
He still keeps his head down at times and falls while moving his head, but I'm almost certain that it's because of his lice. He has a lot of nits on the feathers around his face and neck and I think that he's probably trying to rub them off or something because they probably itch.
I read an article on this site about Marek's disease and how lice can sometimes cause a chicken to look like they have the disease and I think that's it.
I'm going to try using coconut oil to loosen the nits and start changing his shavings everyday.

 

[Eggcessive]

They sell sevin at Walmart and TSC. I have used it for years without a problem on my dogs, chickens, and in my garden. But now I would recommend permethrin, since it is safer and recommended for poultry.

 

[Eggcessive]

That still looks like a neurological problem, wry neck or possibly, Mareks. I would keep him on vitamins and watch him. Using the lice treatment (permethrin) at 10 day intervals until all lice are gone will likely get the newly hatched lice eggs. His bedding also need to be treated.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you give him any vitamins to help with the wry neck (torticolis?) I would use thiamine, vitamin e, and selenium. Those are all in Poultry Cell or NutriDrench given 2-3 ml daily. Even though he is better, I would use them for awhile.
Wood ash can help in prevention of lice, especially if included in a dust bathing area with sand and dirt, but it can be toxic if overused. Permethrin garden dust and 10% spray is readily available in feed stores, and will kiil the lice on contact. Repeat within 10 days to get the newly hatched lice from nits. It is very safe. Sevin dust also works, and I use it without a problem, but permethrin is safer.

 

[casportpony]

I've heard they pulled Sevin from sale.

It's no longer "labeled" for use in poultry here in the US, so technically it's not supposed to be used. Canada still uses it, so I figure it's still safe to use, though I prefer to use ivermectin or permethrin for lice.

 

[sylviethecochin]

@casportpony ?
@Ravynscroft ?

 

[getaclue]

I'd start by checking his crop, and ears.