Harvey the Great is Dying. . .

[Peppercorngal]

Could be because he's not eating and he's got vitamin deficiencies...the start of wry neck maybe.


Are you willing to learn how to tube feed him? Or is that a little too much.

I don't mind feeding him, the problem is holding him long enough to do it!

 

[Peppercorngal]

Update on Harvey: Yesterday afternoon Husband got Harvey in a towel and I was able to force about 1/2 a scrambled egg and some chickens liquid vitamins in him. Even my 6'2" husband had a hard time holding him still and I didn't get all the egg in him. He seems a bit more awake today than he has been, but now he is exhibiting a behavior that really worries me. He tilts his head straight back and while back he shakes it from side to side. This is done in a very slow and gentle way, nothing severe in it at all. This cannot be good. He still will not eat, I tempt him many times a day, and I haven't seen him drink either. When we force fed him yesterday he didn't gag, or spit up or anything like that. He walked back into the run and went to bed on the top rung of the roost as usual. What does this new behavior mean, anyone know?

Sorry, I meant Children's liquid vitamins!!!!

 

[nightowl223]

I'm sure rooting for the big guy! I hope the vitamin helps prop him up until he can get past whatever problem he's having.

 

[Cryss]

Tube feeding might get more nutrition into him than force feeding.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Rooting for your sweet Harvey! Hope he pulls through!

 

[nightowl223]

Tube feeding might get more nutrition into him than force feeding.

True, but I'm not sure she's wanting to do anything quite so invasive, especially since they have such a hard time holding him still to do anything with him.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Evening Update: It's getting dark here and I went to check on Harvey a couple of hours ago. . . again. Now he is drooling. I wanted to take a photo to check his eye and found spit instead. It's hard to see unless it's close up like this. I'm so worried, a little bit ago he was laid out on the ground again. Drool, the head twisting, sleeping all the time. It doesn't look good for Harvey. I hate to see him like this, the girls want to hang around with him but he won't move so they end up just going off alone for a couple of hours and then coming back. I'm going to see if there is a Vet in town that will see a chicken, I can't handle this anymore. I'll start calling places tomorrow morning. I have a new rooster, 6 weeks old, I named him Jethro and I'm hoping he'll be like Harvey, be nice. He is Harvey's son. If he is not nice he'll be sold to the feed store! Feeling very helpless.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Tube feeding might get more nutrition into him than force feeding.

I'm not opposed to doing that if I can possibly do it, however, it seems moot to tube feed him and then he still won't eat or drink on his own. I don't see any point in that... . .

 

[HenHouse4Life]

Oh Harvey I hope you can find a vet for the sweet boy. I totally understand. ...I lost my very best boy this year and it absolutely wrecked me..... and I admit I cried all day. An almost 50 year old woman crying, over a rooster
My thoughts are with you and that sweet roo, good luck

 

[nightowl223]

I have a new rooster, 6 weeks old, I named him Jethro and I'm hoping he'll be like Harvey, be nice. He is Harvey's son. If he is not nice he'll be sold to the feed store!

I would like to say this. If he is not nice, it will be months before you know this, and it will be much too late to sell him at a feed store. At that point, he would only be good for freezer camp. Luckily, there are always people needing to thin out their roosters, and it's pretty easy to find a well-behaved rooster, IF you need to replace Harvey.

I hope you can find a vet to look at Harvey and help him, so you don't have to worry about replacements any time soon!