strange behavior

[KsKingBee]

Well, now we have that out of the way.

The problem that you were treating could have brought him down and let some underlaying problem manifest itself. It could be respiratory, worms, or lice, I would run a fecal exam to rule out a few possibilities.

He could have face lice, a smaller version of the normal body lice that live in and around the ears. They can be seen drinking from the eye in this pic. Treatment is Ivermec pour on, 0.40ml divided up between the shoulders on the skin, under the wings and a tiny drop on the back of the crest, again on the skin. Body lice can also bring a bird down if not addressed.

 

[chicknmania]

I don't believe that it is external parasites. He is still eating well, begging for treats as usual, and fairly active...but i've noticed that he holds his beak slightly open a lot of times, and he's still scratching at the sides of his face, and shaking his head. His head feathers are torn up, probably from his scratching. Could this be an ear infection? He does not seem to be having any problem breathing or eating, just the slightly open beak at times. The other thing i've noticed though is that usually if I call him if he is outside, he will scream back to me, and he hasnt done this, or been vocal at all, for a few weeks. As soon as possible, I'll catch him and try to look in his mouth and throat, but that's definitely at least a two person job so I may have to wait for a day or two to get someone to help me.

 

[azygous]

Look into his ears as well. Your description of his head movements suggest he's in considerable discomfort, if not pain. You can examine him without a helper by wrapping him up in a towel burrito style, confining his wings and his feet. He'll resemble a papoose.

I secure the towel with an Ace bandage or Vetrap to make it impossible for him to squirm out of the wrap. Then lay him on a table on his back with his head pointing toward you. You will then be able to do whatever you need to do and he'll be still.

He can have a one whole baby aspirin 81 grain two times a day for any pain and inflammation. If you see any crusty buildup in his ears, drop a little mineral oil into them, and let it soften the crust. I use a toothpick filed down so the pointed end is rounded off to pull the matter out of the ear.

 

[KsKingBee]

Look into his ears as well. Your description of his head movements suggest he's in considerable discomfort, if not pain. You can examine him without a helper by wrapping him up in a towel burrito style, confining his wings and his feet. He'll resemble a papoose.

I secure the towel with an Ace bandage or Vetrap to make it impossible for him to squirm out of the wrap. Then lay him on a table on his back with his head pointing toward you. You will then be able to do whatever you need to do and he'll be still.

He can have a one whole baby aspirin 81 grain two times a day for any pain and inflammation. If you see any crusty buildup in his ears, drop a little mineral oil into them, and let it soften the crust. I use a toothpick filed down so the pointed end is rounded off to pull the matter out of the ear.

Good information! If there are face lice the ears can harbor a lot of crusty poo and eggs. We use Q-Tips after pulling most of the cotton off to clean ears.

 

[chicknmania]

I've done some additional research and actually he has most of the symptoms typical for outer ear infection in poultry; head shaking, excessive yawning (which he also does), excessive scratching of face and head. I would venture to guess that ear infection is what it is. I don't have Baytril topical ointment which is preferred treatment, according to what I read, but I DO have Baytril 22.5mg tablets, which I can give him in a treat, and it makes sense to me, that if we can get closer to determining that it might be ear infection, that we could give him the Baytril tabs? I won't be able to get the Baytril topical stuff without a scrip. If he has lice, ok we will treat for those too, but I don't see anything around his eyes or face that looks abnormal, nothing like the face lice picture posted. His eyes and face look clean and normal. I can't closely examne his ears without catching him.

 

[azygous]

Are his ears swollen? Have you looked inside the ears? I wouldn't assume there isn't also something inside the ears.

Baytril is a good antibiotic. It ought to work.

 

[chicknmania]

We haven't caught him yet, so I can't see if his ears are swollen. He free ranges so like I said, I need a helper. I know that drops are preferable and less likely to cause resistance issues later, but it seems to me that something is needed.. and since Baytril tabs are what I have, that would be best.

 

[KsKingBee]

It is every bit as important to treat the cause as it is the symptoms.

 

[chicknmania]

We caught him and yes! he has face mites galore (gross) and also ear infection in both ears. So he hates me now for catching him . But we cleaned out his ears and are treating him with the Ivermec and he started the Baytril this morning. He's in a hospital pen, so we can monitor him better. He's so unhappy but he'll get over it. Should we treat him again with the Ivermec before releasing him in a week or so?

 

[azygous]

Excellent. Glad your persistence has paid off. Yes, follow up in a week to ten days with another dose of Ivermec. He'll secretly thank you.