Dying rooster

[Joey and dolly]

Be sure to give him some extra water, and nutrients, other than that as much I want to help I really can’t.

 

[SmiYa0126]

The three that are remaining may be immune to the whatever is plaguing your flock which may strengthen your new arrivals. If it's something you can't remove from the area they may be worth keeping. Just my 2 cents.

 

[whispurr]

The three that are remaining may be immune to the whatever is plaguing your flock which may strengthen your new arrivals. If it's something you can't remove from the area they may be worth keeping. Just my 2 cents.

2 of the 3 are roosters. I had 3 roosters and 1 hen. I know I need to get rid of a couple of roosters. I'm just not sure it's worth the risk to move the remaining 2 into the new coop.

 

[azygous]

I think @SmiYa0126 is thinking of breeding for resistance to Marek's and lymphoid leucosis. That's the only way it can work, breeding the roosters and selecting hatched chickens for resistance, a complicated endeavor. Besides, each of these viruses behaves differently when passed from hen to egg.

Keeping the existing roosters and adding new chickens only will infect the new ones who may or may not develop resistance. And not knowing what virus you are dealing with would only invite more heartache.

 

[SmiYa0126]

If it's Marek's, you may have the issues reoccur. Can you get chicks from a five mile radius? I read a thread where a chicken keeper was able to rebuild her flock from local farms where chickens no longer died as pullets.

 

[whispurr]

Well he died. Now I have 2 roosters and one hen. She is a prolific egg layers so is hate to lose her. What would you do at this point? Would you have a vet check for diseases? I need to get them into the new coop or get rid of them or kill them. We're going to start over with new chicks.

 

[azygous]

Need help finding an animal testing lab for a necropsy? Give us your location.Refrigerate the body, don't freeze.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope that you will send his body to your state vet for Mareks testing. That is the only way to know if it was Mareks causing his lameness, and they also can look for other reasons. Bodies should be kept cold, not frozen, and taken to the lab M-F. This lis below has all of the state vet contact info:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

If he had Mareks, the disease is spread through dust and dander, which is everywhere around your coop, home and land. It is unknown how long Mareks can remain in your environment, months to years, so that could effect any new chicks.

Mareks is a virus spread through feather dander. It is not always fatal. It can cause 4 types of symptoms including nerve paralysis, skin tumors, organ tumors, and eye changes including blindness. A chicken might just have one type of symptoms. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some reading about Mareks disease:
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/vdl-mareks-disease-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[whispurr]

Unfortunately he's been removed by my husband. Now I have 2 roosters and 1 hen. It's possible one of the other roosters hurt him. How do I get rid of one of my roosters? Neither of us can kill one.