Rooster with neck/throat issues

[BlossomSilkies]

We have a JG Blue Rooster who is about 10 months old. He seems to be having some sort of an issue on his neck/throat. The feathers almost look sort of soft and thinning and he has what looks like a couple sores. Is he moulting at this age maybe?

He does a sort of move with his neck that reminds me of that '80s dance move that Paula Abdul and Janice Jackson did, remember that?

Also noticed this morning he isn't getting a complete crow out, sort of stops in the middle.

Behavior otherwise seems normal. None other of the flock is behaving this way. No other roosters in this flock. He is considerably larger and taller than all the other hens.

 

[LooneyGoonie]

It looks like another bird may be picking his feathers out. If they yank out a feather, sometimes the follicle will bleed a little and scab over. My birds have gotten bored from being shut in the coop this winter and have been feather picking.

 

[CMV]

Have you done a bug check on him? I don't know if it is just the pic quality, but it looks to me like he might have mites. What is the debris in his feathers?

 

[BlossomSilkies]

He did have a few mites last weekend and I gave him a good DE dusting. I checked today, and not seeing anything as far as bugs.

Not sure what the debris is, I will take a closer looks at that.

Why has his crow changed? He doesn't quite get through a complete crow, kind of stops in the middle?

 

[CMV]

Mites can be deadly to birds in heavy loads. You would not see the mites on him unless you checked him at night. During the daylight they are hiding in the environment and not on the bird. DE does not work to stop an active infestation. It is merely a preventative, and even then its efficacy is questionable. The debris in his feathers is likely to be mite waste. He is loaded with bugs based on the state of his feathers.

You need to clean up the infestation ASAP. All the birds are going to need to be treated with an insecticide. You are going to need to gut the coop and treat it as well. You will need to do this twice 10 days apart. Hopefully this will clean up the infestation.

Your roo is going to need to be put on some vitamins. Poultry Drench/NutriDrench is a good source. Just follow the directions on the package for dosing. Do not overdose as it can cause diarrhea if given too heavily. I think you will find his crow back to normal once you clean up the bugs and build his system back up.

Do not waste any time getting all this done. I cannot stress enough how dangerous mites are. I nearly lost my flock a few years back to them.

Good luck.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

Will Savin dust work for mites?

 

[CMV]

Indeed. It is one of the fastest acting insecticides and does a great job.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

Great! We will take care of this after dinner. Thank you for the advise and details!