Rooster Loss of Balance Sudden Onset

[SunnyFLChick]

See video...my 6 month old rooster has become unsteady on his feet. Still eating great and active.
We are working on a mite issue which I thought we had under control....we do not.

Today I went to treat him and he got panicked- very out of character for this boy! And I noticed the instability. Also new... his left eye is swollen. Right eye is fine.

Swollen eye.

Normal eye.

Could this all be related to the mites?!?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be the mites. What are you using for treatment?

I would keep him hydrated, get rid of the mites and get some poultry vitamins into him. Poultry Cell would be a good choice for him. 1cc per 3 pounds of weight once a day.

What do you feed? Any chance feed got moldy? I know it can mold quickly here in warm humid weather.

 

[SunnyFLChick]

We did have some moldy feed in the storage container. But I cleaned out the coop feeders and did all fresh food when we found that. Having said that - yes we are in central FL and the humidity has been off the charts so moldy feed is always a consideration.

I have Pure Planet Poultry spray that I have been using. It had seemed to work....but they came back with a vengeance! I have ordered permectrin II, it will be here tomorrow. I just gave him a bath to try and give him some relief and he seems completely disoriented. He kept bobbing his head under water and flopping/throwing himself around. It's like he didn't know which way was up.

I did give him some poultry nutri-drench I had on hand and got some yogurt down him. He has diarrhea too the poor thing. Oh and he has Rooster Booster in his water.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It sounds like he's having neurological issues unless the mites are all in his ears.
Have you looked in his ears - any mites in there or pus?

Unfortunately, some of the more "natural" type poultry sprays don't seem to be that effective in treating an infestation. I surely wish they did!

Hopefully you will have better results the permethrin.

Giving him the PND and rooster booster are fine. Both have Vitamin E which can help with neurological problems. When you can, get some photos of his poop.

 

[SunnyFLChick]

He made it through the night. (Always good when your dealing with mystery issues) And I swear he looks more steady on his feet this morning. That could be optimistic thinking on my part...

Poop from last night. He's quarantined so this is definitely his.

This one looked a little more watery.

I checked his ears and they are clear. No pus or mites.

Is there anything else I can do for his swollen eye? It looks about the same this morning.

Thank you so much for your help with him! ❤

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Somehow I missed the swollen eye. I'm hoping that is from irritation due to the mites.
General care for swelling of the eye would be to clean/flush with saline, then apply an eye ointment like Terramycin in and around the eye or you can use Original Neosporin.

Poop doesn't look bad to me. A little watery can be from drinking a lot. Is he drinking the vitamin water ok?

I hope he keeps making progress, he's beautiful!

 

[SunnyFLChick]

Yes he seems to he drinking well.

The permrctrin is here. Do you have a mixing ratio that you have used? And is there egg withdrawal for the girls? It mentions if you are slaughtering sheep but it doesn't say anything about poultry and eggs.

I am wondering if he was trying to scratch due to discomfort and hit his head/eye. My poor boy!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Re-check your label to make sure this is the same product you have - this should give you ratios to use. I think @cmom has a chart, but I'm not sure if it's for Permectrin II or not.
https://www.drugs.com/vet/permectrin-ii.html

As far as I know, there is no withdrawal period when using Permethrin based products according to their label.

He may have been scratching his head/eye and got it irritated. The mites may have also caused a reaction. Hopefully by applying a little ointment that will help sooth the area and getting rid of the mites will be a big help too.

 

[cmom]

Permectrin II is Permethrin 10. If you have a mite issue, I almost lost some birds to mites. You do need to treat weekly for 3 or 4 weeks because it does not kill the mite eggs so repeat weekly treatments are necessary. Thoroughly soak everywhere in their coop. Every crack and crevice. There is no egg withdrawal period so the eggs are safe to eat. The problem with most is they mix the solutions too weak. I use the 0.50% solution and have had great success with it when needed. I also use poultry dust in the nest boxes. I don't try to use Permethrin as a preventative because the pests can develop a resistance. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

If you decide you want to bathe your birds, every over-the-counter (OTC) treatment for head lice contains either pyrethrins (Rid or Triple X) or permethrin (Nix). They are effective treatment. They only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. Again, good luck...