7-8 month old Seabright pale and cracking

[Spruceroost]

Hey everyone. The last several days my silver Seabright rooster has started to look pale. He doesn't crow, and he has a crackle in his voice. It's about 100 degrees out, the chickens have a covered run with fencing on all sides for ventalation.

None of the other chickens have symptoms, I introduced a frizzle about a month ago and she's fine, but otherwise they have all been together.

I brought him inside once I saw him with his mouth open, making the crackle noise, and was trying to rest. His breath smelled rotten, which may or may not be typical for a chicken. He eats Dumor layer pellets from tractor supply and regular water. He still had plenty of energy to escape my grasp and run, a

nd he seems better now that he is indoors. He is drinking a lot of water inside.

He doesn't weigh much as he's always been pretty lean. I was planning to deworm and have that available but I haven't gotten a sample of his poo yet. Any tips on how to approach this would help a lot. Thanks for reading!

 

[Poultrybreeder]

He has a cold, give him the shot version of Tylan 50, it is what I use for mine, it is very powerful, so make sure to watch how much you give him. He might act a little worse a few hours later, it should be fine

 

[Poultrybreeder]

Here is a kid showing how to treat colds/coughs

 

[Pyxis]

Going by the smell and the trouble breathing, it's likely coryza, and was introduced by the new frizzle you brought in. Chickens can carry diseases like that and never show symptoms. The nasty thing about coryza is that although you can treat the symptoms, it will never fully be cured, and you will have to treat again every time there is a flareup. You can treat with Sulmet. Tylan is another treatment option for this disease, and you might want to start it. Although, you're going to need to get it from a vet thanks to a new law regarding animal medicine passed earlier this year. Since the new medication law for animals went into affect, Tylan is no longer available OTC. You have to get it from a vet (injectable is still available OTC, the water soluble stuff you have to get from a vet).

He has a cold

Chickens don't get colds like we do. Chickens get respiratory diseases, which are nasty things that need antibiotics to treat and never actually are cured, like mycoplasma or coryza. Or they can get viruses like infectious bronchitis, which, being viruses, cannot be treated with antibiotics (like a real cold, incidentally).

 

[Spruceroost]

Thanks for the advice everyone. We are coming up on a weekend, will he make it through until I can get a vet to provide me with the shot? Is there anything in the meantime?

I am curious about the infection, I get all my chickens from the same place and they come from a breeder farm with strict standards. I never buy from untrusted sources, but it is what it is, he needs medicine.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

He should make it threw the weekend, whenever mine experience the same symptoms, they live, as long as you don't wait any longer than the weekend

 

[Pyxis]

I am curious about the infection, I get all my chickens from the same place and they come from a breeder farm with strict standards. I never buy from untrusted sources, but it is what it is, he needs medicine.

Does your source ever get in chickens from other people? Because that's a vector for coryza. Or allow them outside where they can come into contact with wild birds or mice? They also carry diseases that chickens can get, like mycoplasma gallisepticum. Or even hatching eggs from people with infected birds can bring disease into your flock, since mycoplasma can infect chicks in the egg before they even hatch.

A hard and fast rule that I use - if your source has ever had any kind of respiratory illness in their flock, and they did not cull that flock and completely start over, do not buy from them. Coryza and mycoplasma can never actually be eradicated, just treated when the symptoms flare up. If it turns out that your cockerel has one of these diseases, which the vet will probably be able to confirm for you, then the rest of birds will likely catch it or already do have it. If this turns out to be the case, never sell birds to others, because then you would just be infecting their flock.

 

[Pyxis]

Thanks for the advice everyone. We are coming up on a weekend, will he make it through until I can get a vet to provide me with the shot?

Oh, I just realized I wasn't clear before and wanted to let you know, the injectable stuff is still available OTC, just not the stuff that goes in drinking water. So, injectable you could run out and buy yourself. You could probably find it at any feed store.

 

[Spruceroost]

Oh, I just realized I wasn't clear before and wanted to let you know, the injectable stuff is still available OTC, just not the stuff that goes in drinking water. So, injectable you could run out and buy yourself. You could probably find it at any feed store.

The stores just closed but I'll be out there first thing in the morning. He's sleeping but constantly opening his mouth like he is gasping.

Where do I inject?

 

[Pyxis]

You inject under the skin on the back of the neck. If that's intimidating to you, even though it's an injectable, you can give it orally. For an oral dose give 1/4 CC once a day for five to seven days.