Sick rooster

[miche72]

My rooster is unable to balance and when I checked him over I found lice. After checking all the girls he’s the only one with bugs. We treated everyone with DE and cleaned the coop and spayed with Poultry Protection spray, new straw and sprinkled DE everywhere. Why would he have LOTS (LOTS!!!) of bugs and none on the girls? I have him separate right now, honestly not too hopeful with his current behaviors

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @miche72 Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about your rooster.

How old is he?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

Since you found an active lice infestation, it is best to treat your rooster and the hens with a permethrin based poultry spray or dust - these can be found at most feed stores. DE, imho, is not effective and can be irritating to a chicken's delicate respiratory system.

Unable to balance can be from a number of things - nutritional/vitamin deficiency and diseases like Marek's are a couple of common causes.

Check to see if his crop is emptying overnight, if you have a vet have a fecal float to rule out a worm infestation and provide him with extra protein like eggs, tuna or a small amount of beef liver. He will also benefit from poultry vitamins.

Your question about why he has more lice than the others - he is unwell and in a weakened state - so he is not taking care of himself properly (dust bathing/preening).

 

[chickens really]