What bug is this?

TinyRaptorDodos

Crowing
May 23, 2021
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Wasilla, Alaska
I couldn’t get a picture as soon as I saw them I didn’t think I just grabbed the treatment and gloves and treated him.
But my new rooster has been acting really weird and hasn’t seemed ti have been recovering at all, after a day I realized he was acting exactly like my old hen before she died from anemia from mites. I checked his feathers and found these weird white oval bugs. Almost the size of a small beetle, I’ve looked through all of the parasitic bugs or any fowl bugs and couldn’t find them. I didn’t see any eggs at all and only saw them closer to his tail on his back. Could they just be beetles? Either way I treated him. He could be anemic from his old flock constantly ripping his comb and not letting him eat but should I be more worried? I noticed he had raised scales and a big bump on his toe too, bumble foot or an old injury? He’s not limping, walking slowly because he has been hiding in a crate for I don’t even know how long. He DOES have feather feet which I’ve heard makes his scales raise but I’m still thinking about scaly leg mites?

He’s been standing in one spot in the sun and only drinking if I move him to loose snow or water, his wings look lowered but that could just be his feathers?
 

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What are you using as treatment? Permethrin?

You still have cold weather, so do you have Ivermectin? If not, then dust him really well with Permethrin poultry dust. Repeat in 5-7 day intervals.

The raised scales would indicate Scaly Leg Mites, the usualy treatment is to apply vaseline or oil to the legs and feet working it up under the scales, but with you having cold weather, the oil may not be such a good idea, this is why I suggest Ivermectin.

You mention he's being kept from food? If he is, then you'll want to remedy that somehow. Separate him out is probably the best solution. This way you can treat him and see that he's getting to eat/drink and build him back up. Give him extra protein daily for a week, then a few days a week thereafter. Egg, meat, fish would be good to give in addition to his normal feed. Poultry vitamins a couple of times a week as well.

You may want to treat all your birds even if you don't see any bugs, treat their housing too.

At this time if he's not limping, then I'd leave the bottom of his feet alone, get him back into shape and hopefully the weather will be nicer, then you can address the minor bumblefoot that he has.
 
What are you using as treatment? Permethrin?

You still have cold weather, so do you have Ivermectin? If not, then dust him really well with Permethrin poultry dust. Repeat in 5-7 day intervals.

The raised scales would indicate Scaly Leg Mites, the usualy treatment is to apply vaseline or oil to the legs and feet working it up under the scales, but with you having cold weather, the oil may not be such a good idea, this is why I suggest Ivermectin.

You mention he's being kept from food? If he is, then you'll want to remedy that somehow. Separate him out is probably the best solution. This way you can treat him and see that he's getting to eat/drink and build him back up. Give him extra protein daily for a week, then a few days a week thereafter. Egg, meat, fish would be good to give in addition to his normal feed. Poultry vitamins a couple of times a week as well.

You may want to treat all your birds even if you don't see any bugs, treat their housing too.

At this time if he's not limping, then I'd leave the bottom of his feet alone, get him back into shape and hopefully the weather will be nicer, then you can address the minor bumblefoot that he has.
Yes I used the permethrin. We don’t have the Ivermectrin, he has access to the food but he won’t eat it. He likes to lay on the sun so I give him this own food and water dish with mealworms and normal pellets.

I’ll see if we have any Vaseline, it’s been 20-40 degrees Fahrenheit the past few days and they stay in the coop where I keep it around 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit so I don’t think it would freeze, everything is melting.

Bringing him indoors worries me, I just got chicks and I do not want them getting whatever he has, they also have the indoor cage.

I will see if he’ll eat any meat? He likes eating snow, I think he might’ve eaten a couple mealworms.

I have some I have remedies in the water to help physical and emotional injuries so hopefully he won’t be traumatized.

He’s only been here about two days and has spent most of his time outdoors but a few of my hens have been grooming him and following him so I’ll be sure to treat them and the area of the coop he’d go in.

Yeah no limping just cautious walking, it looks like it might just be an old injury of sorts. Like how my oldest hen has swollen looking feet and has since I got her. So I’m hoping it’s not bumblefoot.
Thank you
 
Interesting. I don't know what bugs they are if they are bugs. I have a feeling that it may be something similar to trench foot but I'm guessing.
What I would suggest is you clean his legs with warm water; don't scrub, and then coat with Betadine, if you can get.

If you can't find Betadine then Povidone Iodine mixed 50% with Petrolium Jelly would do. Get a good coating on his legs and feet and repeat every couple of day for a week.
 
Interesting. I don't know what bugs they are if they are bugs. I have a feeling that it may be something similar to trench foot but I'm guessing.
What I would suggest is you clean his legs with warm water; don't scrub, and then coat with Betadine, if you can get.

If you can't find Betadine then Povidone Iodine mixed 50% with Petrolium Jelly would do. Get a good coating on his legs and feet and repeat every couple of day for a week.
I’d try to get a picture but too much touching stresses him out. They really just looked like little white beetles. Like a white scarab but I’ve never seen them before. They were much bigger then any lice or mites I’ve dealt with and there were no eggs from what I saw.. Will random bugs just go into chickens feathers without hurting them? I’ll need to treat my hen of course but even she has been grooming him which I think has actually been picking those out
 

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