Rooster with purple comb and wobbly legs

[feetofclay1678]

Hello, my young buff orpington rooster(was supposed to be a hen) who is about 18-19 weeks old or so, has in the last few days had his comb kind of flop over and turn from a pretty bright red, to more of a dull purple color, seems to have loose stools as he has gross clumpy feathers below his vent(is it called the same thing as a hen?), and he looks very unsteady on his feet. He is also mostly keeping to himself, and not dashing after food too much. This hatchery order that he came in on, is the one from hell. only 2 out of my 6 ordered are actually what they are supposed to be and healthy. None of the other 3 that passed away had this issue that the rooster has going on. all of my other flock seems perfectly normal as well.

 

[Abriana]

@TwoCrows you were the one who helped me when my rooster had a purple comb, right?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello, my young buff orpington rooster(was supposed to be a hen) who is about 18-19 weeks old or so, has in the last few days had his comb kind of flop over and turn from a pretty bright red, to more of a dull purple color, seems to have loose stools as he has gross clumpy feathers below his vent(is it called the same thing as a hen?), and he looks very unsteady on his feet. He is also mostly keeping to himself, and not dashing after food too much. This hatchery order that he came in on, is the one from hell. only 2 out of my 6 ordered are actually what they are supposed to be and healthy. None of the other 3 that passed away had this issue that the rooster has going on. all of my other flock seems perfectly normal as well.

At this age and time of year, I am inclined to think he is suffering from some sort of virus, possibly mosquito born. Diarrhea is his internal attempt to flush his system of toxins. When a bird is sick, they go into starvation response, their system slows down to conserve weight and allow the immune system to do its job. Blood pressure can become low due to slower metabolism and hence the lack of blood to the comb.

Purple combs generally indicates a circulation issue, I doubt he has heart disease or arterial hypertension at his age. Viruses can takes a couple of weeks to run through the system. I would separate him from the flock and get him under a heat lamp, he is no doubt cold. Feed him what ever he will eat for now. Supportive care is very important, giving him time to heal on his own. Warmth is the number one key along with food that will offer him the best chance of survival.

 

[Abriana]

Give nutridrench too and feed him water with a syringe.

 

[Eggcessive]

It may well be a virus, but coccidiosis can also be a problem with unsteadiness, diarrhea, and poor appetite. Sometimes they can have blood in the droppings, but not always. It usually affects younger chickens, but he may have some problem with immunity. Corid powder from your feed store--1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water for 7 days can treat cocci. If you have a regular vet who could test some droppings for cocci or worms, that might be a good idea.