Rooster unknown respiratory issue - how fast does Tylan improve symptoms?

Polish/houdan 2 yr old Rooster, has lost weight. Not severe but noticeable as he is a big boy.

Been wheezing off and on for months. Hoarse,shrill crow. Less, and sometimes nonexistent in cooler weather. Very cranky mood. Has never been aggressive until this. No other symptoms at all. Wheezing has increased dramatically with the summer heat.

No other affected birds.

Open stall enclosure, natural desert sand flooring. Housed with his mate (polish hen) and a turkey tom until a week ago. Turkey was culled. Healthy and well at cull.

Began several months after being sick with DRY fowlpox (at least half my flock was affected, no deaths.) Possible dry mash feed aspiration as recent as 2 mos ago.

Eating and drinking normally.
Poop normal.

Began Tylan50, administered by injection in skin fold, neck. First dose given Sat 6/18 evening. Giving 1/2CC twice a day for a total of 5 days/10 doses to end on Thursday morning 6/23. First dose Valbazen given tonight Tues 6/22 and will repeat in 3 days twice more.

Treating based on assumed respiratory infection, remote possibility of gape worm. I don't think I have ever wormed this rooster in his two years.

How soon will I know if the Tylan50 is/has worked in order to pursue other potential treatment? I don't want to drag this on for him if recovery is not possible. I'd rather cull him rather than let him struggle.

Have you looked inside his throat for yellow lesions that could be wet or diphtheritic pox? They can be in the throat, trachea, esophagus, crop, and elsewhere. Air sacculitis, aspergillosis from mold, viruses, and bacteria can all cause respiratory disease symptoms. Tylan should help with bacterial symptoms within a few days if the bacteria is sensitive to Tylan. E.coli infection is common in air sacculitis and as a secondary disease in chickens, and Tylan won't treat that. Worming is a good idea in case of capillary worms that can affect the throat. Valbazen is normally given once, and repeated in 10 days. If using SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer, it is given for 5 days to treat gapeworm and capillary worm. I would consider taking him to a vet, if possible, getting a fecal test on several fresh droppings, and getting a stronger broad spectrum antibiotic that would also treat E.coli as well as respiratory bacteria or mycoplasma. If you do cull him, please consider getting a necropsy by your state vet or nearest poultry college which could explain what was wrong. Many times there are multiple problems, including immunity issues and vitamin deficiency. There is a lot of guesswork involved in treating a sick chicken without lab work or Xrays that cost a fortune. Let us know how he does.

Yes, I did check his throat. No abnormalities. His color is excellent, no swelling either. Eyes are bright and clear, nostrils are clear and dry. He does not sound as if he is struggling with fluid in the lungs. There's no gurgling... no discharge of any kind, no sneezing or coughing. He just sounds like he has emphysema for lack of a better description. Since it has been several months and he has no digestive symptoms I wouldn't have thought e.coli.... but I'll keep that in mind to run a course of tetracycline as a last resort if he sounds the same a week after we finish the tylan. I am following Dawg53's recommendation for Valbazen dosing for gapes, specifically due to their resistance to treatment. Three doses, over the course of 10 days to disrupt their feeding pattern rather than repeat after 10 days. We don't have a single vet within 200 miles that will see small livestock, particularly poultry. So I'm on my own figuring this out or I'd take him in a hot second. I can send him in to UC Davis here in CA if we do wind up having to cull. At this point I'm leaning to some sort of freak infection or abnormality as it's been a while and he is the only bird affected.

Hi there,

It doesn't sound as though he is on deaths door and would need culling. He sounds like he has something one of my hens have. Still to be determined.

I can see that you have tried antibiotics and you're waiting for them to take effect, I have one girl who has displayed this strange rattle for months, despite a full course of Tylan antibiotics which seemed to alleviate but not completely dissipate the symptoms. I have also wormed with Flubenvet which kills gapeworm.

Have you tried the following options?

Adding 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar with the mother into 2 litres of water on a daily basis, a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract and freshly crushed garlic as well as natural antibiotics as a mixture of 1/2 tspn cinnamon and 1/2 tspn oregano? These are all very, very, cheap options that go well to establishing a healthy flock. A balance of natural and chemical (unfortunately) methods seem to work very well and are well documented on various forums, despite the lack of scientific research because these girls / boys don't seem to have a place on this planet for long periods. And considering not very much is known about hens in general due to shoddy input from the powers that be, I'd take the advice from forums and blogs any day. So far, all the advice I've learned from forums has helped me immensely with my small flock.

I think, your rooster would appreciate you trying to save his life, the same way other animals might appreciate it (humans included) and as you are custodian, it is something you cannot shy away from. Every life is precious.

Best wishes
Amanda