Sick Rooster :(

[hippiebirdlady]

Hi all! I am new to posting, but have been a reader for quite some time. I am hoping to get some advice for my rooster, who is on deaths door seemingly.

My rooster, Rainier, stopped crowing about 5 days ago. I went to check him out really close and found his bum to be infested with mites!! I cut off all if his bum feathers, and my husband and I soaked his butt in a warm bath and then slathered his bare bottom in petroleum. I have added Sulmet to his water and gave him a dose of colloidal silver as well. I have been checking him daily and do not see any sign of the mites anymore. He is of course separated from the hens.

He is eating, but is very lethargic and has been sleeping on the ground because he is too weak to jump up and roost He seems very off balance when he walks as well.His comb has a slight bluish color near the back. Overall, he makes none of his normal noises and looks plain terrible!

Any thoughts and ideas will be taken seriously and thankfully!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Could what you have seen on his vent have been maggots? Fly strike from maggot infestation can happen if flies lay eggs in the poo on the vent. Lice also can be common near the vent. If they were mites, he could be very anemic. Get some Poultry Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell vitamins, and give him 3 ml daily by mouth. Until you get them tomorrow, if you have electrolytes, SaveAChick, Pedialyte, or Gatorade, that will do to feed him with a dropper. For mites or lice, I would dust him with sevin dust or permethrin, and the coop should be cleaned out and sprayed with either of those. Here are some links with pictures about mites and lice: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf

 

[hippiebirdlady]

So today I went to the feed store to get the items you recommended. I couldn't help but notice he did seem ever so slightly better before I gave him his first treatment, so I was very happy about that! I started him on the 3mL Poultry Cell vitamins and begrudgingly purchased the permethrin (I have a commitment to non-toxic products). I syringe fed him the vitamins and gave him his daily dose of colloidal silver and water. I also purchased some meal worms for him and he ate quite a few. His peck is so weak though I'm hoping to be able to report daily increases in energy!!