I think this is Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) but is there something else it could be? Do you recommend anything besides rest, warmth and Tylan 50?
Looking for suggestions as to what's going on with my rooster, in case I have overlooked something. Been doing a lot of reading. Here are the details:
9.5 month old BCM cockerel is the only one showing symptoms in a flock with 5 pullets around the same age. My husband cared for them for 5 days while I was out of town; everyone seemed fine when I returned on Monday afternoon, 12/07 and on Tuesday 12/08. Wednesday morning I let them out and rooster had wet sneezes but no nasal discharge or weepy eyes that I can see. I cleaned the coop on Wednesday and opened the window to air out excess dust to rule out allergies.
Weather has been varying from 18 to 58, mostly cold but also rainy. Coop and run are dry. They only free range when supervised and only in an fence-enclosed area. We have wild turkeys roaming our property, but only song birds would've had access to the chicken area. Chickens free feed NCO grower soy-free and get a bowl of it fermented daily. Grit always available.
Because it was warmer, I left the roo with his girls until Friday evening when it was extra cold. Outside he would eat treats but not sure how much feed he was eating. He would sometimes be alert and sometimes drowsy. Started providing VetRX on his comb and waddles to help with breathing on Thursday. Brought him inside Friday evening because weather is getting significantly colder and he wasn't getting better; he ate treats then and he's calmly been resting in a dog crate in my home office today. He has not crowed since Tuesday - very unusual.
He has snuffly breathing (is that rales?), sometimes cough sounding noise and occasional wet sounding sneeze - no discharge and no gaping/yawning. The breathing sound is similar to the noise of a small coffee maker as it spits out the last bit of water through the filter.
Today, Saturday he has barely ate although he is drinking water on his own after I force fed a bit of Nutri Drench, water, and almost 1 cc of Tylan 50 orally (some spilled). I take that as a good sign. Poop seemed normal until this evening when it was green, because he didn't eat today. Crop seems normal but empty (except for the grit I can feel moving around in there). He is clearly tired. In fact, he curled up in my lap like a baby while giving meds. He's not usually cuddly although he is accustomed to being picked up.
I would take him to the poultry vet in a heartbeat if it wasn't Christmas weekend and an hour drive away. I'd be surprised if they answer the phone before Wednesday morning.
Does this sound accurate? The oral dose for the inject-able Tylan 50 (what was available locally) is approximately 1.2 cc 2x or 3x per day for 5 days, assuming a 6.5 pound rooster. I could go buy syringes (22 gauge, I think was what I read?) but I'm not comfortable giving injections if the oral route will work. I'm afraid I'll miss muscle and hit a vital organ like the crop, for example.
If the flock is not showing symptoms, is it OK to leave them as-is? The rooster is separated from the flock so less likely to infect them, but it seems weird that he was with them for 48 hours and they don't have symptoms, if this is infectious.
And yes I recognize that once he is better, I should maintain a closed flock for at least a year. I'm OK with that.
Looking for suggestions as to what's going on with my rooster, in case I have overlooked something. Been doing a lot of reading. Here are the details:
9.5 month old BCM cockerel is the only one showing symptoms in a flock with 5 pullets around the same age. My husband cared for them for 5 days while I was out of town; everyone seemed fine when I returned on Monday afternoon, 12/07 and on Tuesday 12/08. Wednesday morning I let them out and rooster had wet sneezes but no nasal discharge or weepy eyes that I can see. I cleaned the coop on Wednesday and opened the window to air out excess dust to rule out allergies.
Weather has been varying from 18 to 58, mostly cold but also rainy. Coop and run are dry. They only free range when supervised and only in an fence-enclosed area. We have wild turkeys roaming our property, but only song birds would've had access to the chicken area. Chickens free feed NCO grower soy-free and get a bowl of it fermented daily. Grit always available.
Because it was warmer, I left the roo with his girls until Friday evening when it was extra cold. Outside he would eat treats but not sure how much feed he was eating. He would sometimes be alert and sometimes drowsy. Started providing VetRX on his comb and waddles to help with breathing on Thursday. Brought him inside Friday evening because weather is getting significantly colder and he wasn't getting better; he ate treats then and he's calmly been resting in a dog crate in my home office today. He has not crowed since Tuesday - very unusual.
He has snuffly breathing (is that rales?), sometimes cough sounding noise and occasional wet sounding sneeze - no discharge and no gaping/yawning. The breathing sound is similar to the noise of a small coffee maker as it spits out the last bit of water through the filter.
Today, Saturday he has barely ate although he is drinking water on his own after I force fed a bit of Nutri Drench, water, and almost 1 cc of Tylan 50 orally (some spilled). I take that as a good sign. Poop seemed normal until this evening when it was green, because he didn't eat today. Crop seems normal but empty (except for the grit I can feel moving around in there). He is clearly tired. In fact, he curled up in my lap like a baby while giving meds. He's not usually cuddly although he is accustomed to being picked up.
I would take him to the poultry vet in a heartbeat if it wasn't Christmas weekend and an hour drive away. I'd be surprised if they answer the phone before Wednesday morning.
Does this sound accurate? The oral dose for the inject-able Tylan 50 (what was available locally) is approximately 1.2 cc 2x or 3x per day for 5 days, assuming a 6.5 pound rooster. I could go buy syringes (22 gauge, I think was what I read?) but I'm not comfortable giving injections if the oral route will work. I'm afraid I'll miss muscle and hit a vital organ like the crop, for example.
If the flock is not showing symptoms, is it OK to leave them as-is? The rooster is separated from the flock so less likely to infect them, but it seems weird that he was with them for 48 hours and they don't have symptoms, if this is infectious.
And yes I recognize that once he is better, I should maintain a closed flock for at least a year. I'm OK with that.
Last edited:
