Cockerel off feed

[chiknGeek]

I have a 5 month old cockerel. About one and a half weeks ago he was puffed up with his head drawn in and didn't want to come out of the coop with the rest of the flock. I separated him into my hospital coop. He did seem to have some difficulty swallowing, when he tried to drink water it just sort of drooled back out of his mouth.
No other members of the flock are showing any signs of illness.
Since then I have wormed him and have been giving him vitamins in his water. He seems to be acting mostly normally. A bit low on eating. His poop is normal.
The behavior that makes me unsure if it safe to put him back with the flock is that he will occasionally stare with his beak wide open for 30 sec to a min. It's just strange.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

5 month old cockerel. About one and a half weeks ago he was puffed up with his head drawn in and didn't want to come out of the coop with the rest of the flock. I separated him into my hospital coop. He did seem to have some difficulty swallowing, when he tried to drink water it just sort of drooled back out of his mouth.

Since then I have wormed him and have been giving him vitamins in his water. He seems to be acting mostly normally. A bit low on eating. His poop is normal.
The behavior that makes me unsure if it safe to put him back with the flock is that he will occasionally stare with his beak wide open for 30 sec to a min. It's just strange.

Can you please post some photos of the cockerel and his poop?
What do you feed including treats?
What did you use to de-worm and the dosage?
Do you know if he was vaccinated for Marek's?
Is he the only cockerel that was with the flock?

I agree, look inside his beak. I would also check to make sure his crop is emptying overnight.
Offer him a wet mash of his normal feed, add a little bit of scrambled egg to entice him to eat. Watch to see if he's drinking o.k.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

I usually feed my sick birds a small amount of plain yogurt and egg yolk mixed in with their usual food, makes it soft and gives some nutrients. The vitamins you’re already doing sound good, too. Hope he recovers quickly!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I will try it.
How do you tell when it is safe to try reintegration with the flock or whether you should cull? We don't have a chicken vet available.

You will be able to tell. Your heart will also tell you. If he is drinking water and eating something, he is still fighting.
I have had to cull one rooster, well my brother-in-law did it for me... the rooster was alive but stiff, hardly breathing, he couldn't open his beak, wouldn't even open his eyes, his feet were curled up, he couldn't stand, and he was shaking in pain; I came home to this so I have no idea how long he was like this. It was sad to lose a member of the flock, I have had chickens for 7 years and he was my first and only loss last year. The vets in my area aren't poultry vets, and I wouldn't trust them unless they knew poultry, I trust the wonderful people on BYC to help with anything!

 

[aart]

He did seem to have some difficulty swallowing, when he tried to drink water it just sort of drooled back out of his mouth.

Have you looked inside his mouth?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

He ate his full ration of feed today. He drank water.

Crop felt empty.
He'd just had a cecal poop.

Does he still have mucous or fluids coming from his beak?
If he ate and drank today, you should be able to feel food in his crop and he should have more than a cecal poop.
The crop is on the right side of the bird. Do you feel any bloat or does he react to tenderness if you feel his abdomen below the vent between his legs.

I'm a bit confused too...

 

[chiknGeek]

Tonight.
Comb looking better.
No mucous.
He'd eaten some and had some food in his crop.
Normal poop.

Maybe he's out of the woods? I guess I'll continue to monitor him for a few more days.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Have you tried feeding him a mash?

 

[chiknGeek]

I haven't. Is it sufficient to moisten the pellets I normally feed?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I haven't. Is it sufficient to moisten the pellets I normally feed?

Yes, if you haven't tried that maybe he would be able to eat it better.