Treating a sick MEAN rooster???

[MelissaBA]

Can someone tell me the best way to get antibiotics in a rooster who won't let you 5 foot near him?

 

[dawg53]

Can someone tell me the best way to get antibiotics in a rooster who won't let you 5 foot near him?

The easiest way is to capture him after he goes to roost at night. Have someone hold him for you while you administer the meds.
I cradle birds firmly with my forearm and use my finger and thumb to pull the wattles down and the birds mouth opens. I then grab the preloaded syringe and shoot no more than 1/2cc at a time into the mouth. The key is releasing the wattles after shooting the liquid in the mouth and IMMEDIATELY releasing the wattles so the bird can swallow the liquid on his own. If you dont, he can aspirate.

 

[Toddrick]

It took me months to get the guts up to grab my big rooster, but when I finally did it was a lot easier than I thought. As stated, it is easiest to grab them from their roost in the evening. You must be firm, keeping one hand on each side if possible, so the wings cannot flap. Once I have a hold of my rooster and he stops struggling then I will usually tuck him under my arm to carry, or put him directly on the ground, where I will rotate one hand firmly over his back, pressing him into the ground in a submissive state. He doesn't struggle when held to the ground because he can't use his feet, and my hand is on both his shoulders at once, limiting wing motion. Sometimes I pull his feet out behind him to ensure he isn't going to try and jump up. That frees up my other hand to work on him, although at that point I prefer to have a second person place their hand on his back, so I can use both hands.

 

[MelissaBA]

That makes sense and don't know why I didn't think of giving him meds at dark...Thanks for the advice...I am going to try and start him tonight...my birds have a respiratory issue and his crow has sounded really bad so I think he has caught what they have but I have not been able to get anywhere near him without him trying to claw my eyes out...LOL...Thanks!