Sick Rooster

[Wrenne]

My 9 month old rooster (Golden Cuckoo Maran) is sick. He has a fever - cannot stand up - and I have isolated him to our enclosed deck in a soft sided dog pop up crate that I have lined with cardboard and surgical bed pads. I have put water with oregano oil in a ceramic dish and layer feed in another. He is not eating. So I gave him blueberries - his favorite food. I have had two hens who overcame what I thought was broodiness, although it may have been an illness. I isolated them in the same manner and gave them extra nutrients. The roo however seems to have a higher temp. I know chickens run hot, 105-107, but his wattles seemed very hot when I brought him onto our deck. If avian flu or croup, they suggest heat lamp. But I am concerned that he needs cooling down. He keeps his eyes closed and when he opens at all, it is with the closed inner lid. I cleaned his nose with warm wipes. He is very lethargic. Any ideas on treating? Crop does not seem bigger than normal.

 

[dawg53]

Some more info would be helpful:
What does his feces look like? Any respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing, neck stretching, rattles, swollen face, runny nostrils, watery or bubbles in eyes?
Have you inspected him closely for lice and mites especially around his vent? Have you wormed him? Have you noticed any of these symptoms in your hens?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Wrenne]

dawg53 wrote:Some more info would be helpful:
Diarrhea, Fever, will not crow, [Have not seen these: wheezing, sneezing, neck stretching, rattles, swollen face], had clogged nostrils that I moistened with warm water using clean washcloth (no detergent on the cloth), [watery or bubbles in eyes?] No water/bubbles, but eyes only partially open or with the extra membrane lid.
Other Info: I have six chickens and two hens seemed to have the symptoms of being broody. I took one to an Equine vet who could not find anything wrong with her, but she would not put her feet down to stand. We isolated her and treated it as broody. Another young hen is doing the same, but outside of a nesting box. They all sleep on the same perch. When the vet treated my other hen, he could not find anything living on her. Skin was pristine. He was amazed. I would think if one had lice the others would too. They are in an enclosed space 6 x 12 feet on the run size and have the roost area above. The base is block with piping under, then gravel, then drain barrier with 4 inches of dry play sand above with perches outside as well. The roost has a drawer on drawer slides, that slides out for daily cleaning. Non-fluff medical pads (they don't eat it) are on a removable ditra waffle material and held together with binder clips to prevent moving. This is removed daily. The roost is about 8 inches above the drawer slide. I can't find anything living on them. I have not wormed the chickens. I would think, since I clean up after them I would see signs of needing to do so. My rooster is fairly large, and can be protective/aggressive - still young and in training. But I picked him up without difficulty to isolate and treat him. So far he has eaten a few blueberries (his favorite treat) and is laying his head partially in a shallow dish of water. Thanks in advance for any info. We just came out of sub freezing temps but I do have a perch heater and panel heater that turn on below 33 degrees.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

9 month old rooster

He has a fever - cannot stand up - and I have isolated him to our enclosed deck in a soft sided dog pop up crate

He is not eating. So I gave him blueberries - his favorite food.

have had two hens who overcame what I thought was broodiness, although it may have been an illness.

roo however seems to have a higher temp.

If avian flu or croup, they suggest heat lamp. But I am concerned that he needs cooling down. He keeps his eyes closed and when he opens at all, it is with the closed inner lid. I cleaned his nose with warm wipes. He is very lethargic.

had clogged nostrils

eyes only partially open or with the extra membrane lid.

I took one to an Equine vet who could not find anything wrong with her, but she would not put her feet down to stand.

I have not wormed the chickens. I would think, since I clean up after them I would see signs of needing to do so.

laying his head partially in a shallow dish of water.

Hi @Wrenne
Can you post some photos of your rooster and his poop?
Will he drink water on his own?
You mention that you had 2 hens with similar type symptoms - would not put feet down to stand - have both recovered?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

If you can find an Avian Vet, that would be the best course of action.
With chickens, it can be hard to know what's going on. It sounds like your rooster is very ill.
I would still look him over for lice/mites sometimes one can have an overload while others don't - worth taking a look right?
Same for worms - get a fecal float - it's very unlikely you will see worms in the feces since they live in the intestines.

Look inside his beak for any obstruction, plaques or canker.
Check your feed to make sure it's not moldy and think if he may have ingested something toxic (weed killer, fertilizer, etc.)

Do what you can to get him hydrated, then offer him a wet slurry of feed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does your rooster have any signs of frostbite on his feet from the freezing weather? Not being able to stand is alarming, especially since you have seen that with the 2 hens. Are they able to stand now? Were these chickens all vaccinated for Mareks disease?

When you cleaned the rooster’s blocked nostrils, had he been having nasal drainage or was it a combo of food and secretions? Does he have a watery or a bubbly eye, sneezing, or any other symptoms of a respiratory infection?
Is he able to reach his food and water? Chicken slings can be useful with a lame chicken to get them up and in front of food and water. Here are some examples:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Wrenne]

My Asia Roo died this morning. I was with him and he ate one blueberry from a batch but did not eat more. I knew then he was not going to make it because it is his very favorite food. Postmortem I checked his vent and other than soiled feathers from the diarrhea, the vent itself looked clean. When I removed him to examine him, liquid did flow out of his sinus. He deteriorated very quickly. Although new to chickens, I am not new to birds. I know they hide illness. But he was doing just fine a couple of days ago when I made this video on the 2nd.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1waB6VD2d2AgfI7l8C9rU3WwPsJLJH8p2/view

He died when he tried to stand and crow at the rising sun this morning. It seems fitting because that is why I called him Asia. The word means the Rising Sun and as a peep he had a bright golden face and a darker fluffy body. If someone will tell me what I need to do to keep my hens safe from this illness I will try my best.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. We had all asked questions about his symptoms without any answers, but he must have been too far gone. If you still have his body, you could refrigerate it, but don’t freeze it. Contact your state vet to get a necropsy to find the cause of death. It can be inexpensive in some states if you mention they are backyard chickens. Here is some contact info for most state vets and poultry labs that perform the necropsies:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Wrenne]

Sorry for your loss. We had all asked questions about his symptoms without any answers, but he must have been too far gone. If you still have his body, you could refrigerate it, but don’t freeze it. Contact your state vet to get a necropsy to find the cause of death. It can be inexpensive in some states if you mention they are backyard chickens. Here is some contact info for most state vets and poultry labs that perform the necropsies:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thank you for the information. I will try to figure out which one is closest.
Regards, W

 

[Wrenne]

I'm sorry for your loss

Thanks. He was a good roo. He made sure his hens were all in the coop at night, would alarm if he saw hawks even though they were under cover in an enclosed area. He will be missed.