Silkie rooster lice and mite

[Peacockforlife]

I just recently got a rooster Silkie from a private breeder that usually gives away their roosters. Just recently I notice that the Silkie ever time I lay him down, it seemed has if he had a hard time keeping balance. Most likely due to the fact that he is badly infected by lice and most likely mites as well. Will doan dish soap and DE help rid of the pests off my new bird? I had too cut some of his feather near the vent because it seemed as if all the debris and droppings were compiling up! Luckily he’s clean from the bottom but I need mor suggestions? Will spraying apple cider help kill the critters?

 

[Cyprus]

I don't think spraying apple cider will do anything.
DE does a really good of killing the bugs, but it needs to reapplied frequently to be effective.
Permethrin spray and dust needs less frequent application and does a better job.

For sprays, I use a mixture of 3 cups water, 1 cup olive oil, and 1 tablespoon dish soap; mix well. This makes a LOT more than is needed for one chicken though, so I would cut that amount down by a lot, or store the excess.
Simply spray this mixture on the skin of the bird, especially around the vent and under the wings, and it suffocates the little bugs and their eggs. Repeat every 7 days.

 

[Cyprus]

I also wanted to say that I had a hen who was even worse off than your roo that I used that spray and DE on, and she recovered her balance legitimately overnight.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would dust him with permethrin powder. Repeat again in 7 - 10 days. Clean coop and dust it at the same time, destroy all of the bedding. Is he with your other birds? How old?

 

[Peacockforlife]

Ok thank you guys!! I fed him some eggs to rebalance his calcium levels. I will try purchasing the DE tomorrow and look into permethrin as well.

 

[Casastash]

When I got a hen with bad lice I put DE in a huge tote next to her holding pen and dunked her in and sprinkled her neck every other day for a week then 2x a week for 2 weeks.

I also sprinkle DE in my coop and nesting boxes and don’t have issues. I only use FOOD GRADE DE tho!

 

[Peacockforlife]

I would dust him with permethrin powder. Repeat again in 7 - 10 days. Clean coop and dust it at the same time, destroy all of the bedding. Is he with your other birds? How old?

No he’s not but I didn’t fully bathe him since it was cold I only bathed the bottom part were it was really bad. Should I bathe him again or just dust him with the DE now?

 

[lazy gardener]

Please read my post. I would not bathe him nor would I even use DE. Use something that will actually do the job.