Electrolyte problem

[dustbath]

My rooster collapsed in the heat. One problem may be that the feed store is out of the electolyte mixture I usually use so I haven't been adding it to the water.

I bought a substitute but it only has instructions for automatic waterers, which I don't have. The package says to add 2 oz. to 2 gallons with the proportioner set to 1 oz. per gallon. What does that mean??

Any idea on how much to add to one gallon of water?

 

[Pathfinders]

If this is the stuff that most feed stores sell that comes in the yellow foil bag (can't remember the name now), we use that and put about 1/16th of a teaspoon per gallon. Slightly more than a pinch, about half of an 1/8 of a teaspoon measure (if you have one.) You want the water to be yellow, but not screamingly yellow, you know?

Hope that helps.

BTW, how is the rooster? Hope he's recovered.

 

[dustbath]

My feed store sells several vitaimin-electrolyte preparations in yellow foil bags with very differnet concentrations (is the packaging some industry standard?). So I can't say if it's the same. I'm not sure what a proportioner for an automatic waterer does, but if the instruction imply that you are supposed to mix up a preparation at the proposed contentration, and that is distributed in the water at one ounce per gallon, I get a calculation of 1/4 tsp of powder per gallon. It's definitely yellow but not bright yellow.

The rooster is better. The heat dropped and either that helped or the steroids the vet prescriped but he seemed to recover. But yesterday the heat shot up again, and I had run out of my vit-electrolyte powder, and he collapsed again. And again today, despite having the mixture I asked about.

Today, I hand fed him water every hour after I found him collapsing. I've also been feeding him strawberries, which he really loves and seem to revive him. So here I am, buying out of season fruit for my pet rooster.

I don't really know what's going on here. I'm just trying my little best to keep him alive until the weather changes. At the end of the day, he's probably survived to 10 years of age by being such a companion bird!

 

[Judy]

Watermelon is cheaper and is about 97% water, if he likes it.

At his age, there may be more going on than heat stress.

You can make your own electrolytes; uses salt sub for the potassium:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=221676

I hope this works out well for you.

 

[threehorses]

When they're older like that, the heat is much worse on them.

In an emergency in addition to the eletrolytes formula ddawn mentioned, you can also use pedialyte for babies, or even gatorade if you have to. I saved a truck full of parrots in a hurricane evacuation with gatorated.

If you tell us the brand of the electrolyte and what the label calls it, I can try to help you figure out how much. Proportioners are for industrial waterers. Ignore that instruction.

Good on hand watering him. You might keep him up a couple of days close in a cooler place and make sure he drinks and eats. You can even give him a mash of water, yogurt, and crumbles (or pellets) in the morning (mix together, let sit 10 minutes) and maybe egg yolk (cooked) to tempt him to eat it. That way he gets a little more fluid, too.

Strawberries seem to help - watermelon does, too, as ddawn stated. And I'd be very careful with steroids as unless they're used specifically for the same thing he had before, they lower the immune system. Using them and then stopping them immediately can even cause issues. I also wouldn't use any antibiotics. Just lots of water, wet foods, cooler area, and electrolytes in his water.

 

[dustbath]

The electrolytes are Durvet brand, High Performance Poultry Pak.

I do wonder whether the steroids were such a great idea, given that there's no real way to know what exactly is wrong with him. It was the vet's recommendation, though, and who am I to argue? He's tapering off now anyway.

Unfotunately, other than keeping him out of the sun, there's no cooler place for him to be.

 

[Pathfinders]

Right! Durvet is the brand we use too. Follow my instructions above.

As well, for a bird in very bad distress, you can mist them with a mister bottle to cool down their body. I had one bird who went into heat stroke once that I actually held under the hose (mister was way back at the house.) It cooled her down enough that two hours later she was up and running around again, and is still a happy hen.

 

[dustbath]

Thanks for all the tips: they are very helpful.

Now I'm struggling to figure out exactly what is wrong with him (if that's ever possible). I assumed it was heat related because the first time he collapsed, the temps had spiked suddenly after a very cold summer and he looked over-heated (spreading one wing, panting heavily). After feeding him some sugar water, he seemed to recover but started stumbling around a day later. I spoke to a vet (not an avian vet but one with experience with chickens) who suggested that given his age (10 yrs old), he may have a tumor that is affecting his body's ability to regulate temperature, and prescribed steroids for a week, followed by a period of tapering off by giving them every other day (not the best way but the pills can't be divided any smaller).

He then seemed to recover completely, either because of the meds, electrolytes I started adding to the water, or because the temperature fell again. All happened at the same time.

Then Friday, a major heat wave started and he collapsed again in the afternoon. I fed him water with electrolytes and strawberries, and brought him down to the cool cellar, and he seemed to recover completely. Yesterday I came home after spending several hours away from the house in the morning to find him collapsed again. Again, after feeding him the spiked water and fruit, he recovered. I then kept hand feeding him the water every hour until evening and also gave him more berries periodically.

He seemed fine all evening and roosted normally. I checked on him at 2 am and he seemed fine. But when I went out this morning at 7:30, he was collapsed again. Again, I fed him the water and strawberries and he seemed better.

I'm confused because this morning, it didn't feel very hot yet. So is it heat? Or something else altogether? When he collapses, he basically sits down with his head canted at a strange angle, and if he tries to get up, he staggers around or his legs collaspe under him, with his head and neck at a strange angle.

Any ideas? Does this sound like a heat problem?

I tried feeding him some boiled egg this morning but he wouldn't eat it. Now he's

 

[Pathfinders]

If your bird is ten years old, I would think that likely what you are dealing with is congestive heart failure. Ten is very old for a chicken.

The heat may be increasing the stress on his heart, but I don't think is the real reason. I think he's just old.

I am sorry, if you've had him this long you are likely very attached to him, but he is probably nearing the end of his life. Do your best to make him comfortable, but (and this is my opinion only), as with any animal, it's up to us to decide sometimes whether the suffering is worth it.

I am sorry you are in this position. It know it's hard.

 

[dustbath]

Thanks! I actually have only had him for about a year. He moved in from a neighbor who didn't have any other chickens. But I am attached to him: he is very friendly and people-oriented, follows me around the yard, and comes to the window if he sees me in the kitchen. sigh.