Help! Cockerel sick, very lethargic, off-balance, pale comb, may have eaten toxic slug

[GermanKennhuhn]

I'm so sorry!About a year ago I had a buff orpington hen who we found lying in the coop. She was very lethargic, wouldn't eat or drink, and occasionally flapped around. Unfortunately we had to put her down.

 

[mountainchickens]

I'm so sorry!About a year ago I had a buff orpington hen who we found lying in the coop. She was very lethargic, wouldn't eat or drink, and occasionally flapped around. Unfortunately we had to put her down.

Thanks. So sorry about your hen Good news is, he's perking up!! Today he is up and walking and drinking on his own!

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

That's great!!!

 

[mountainchickens]

Sadly he didn't make it past this morning. I thought he was getting much better but I guess I was wrong.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry that he died. It sounded like he was recovering. Do you still have his body, where you could keep it cold (not frozen) to get a necropsy by your state vet on Monday?

 

[centrarchid]

How was his weight?

 

[mountainchickens]

Thanks. We don't have his body because I'm pretty sure we figured out what he might have been sick from... I did some research and it looks like the weird slug he ate the other day might have carried gapeworm or highly toxic plants that it ate. I think we might skip the necropsy... We are also about to treat the coop for mites - we have red mites and also gray somethings which the mite treatment may eradicate anyways.
His weight was pretty good - he didn't dramatically lose weight like some of our past sick ones... Just a little bit lower than normal, I think, though I didn't weigh him properly.

 

[centrarchid]

When I spot a bird in questionable health, one of the first things I do is check based on feel for muscle mass of breast and crop fill. If thin and / or depleted, then I look at lower legs to see if they are skinny looking as that can be an indicator of dehydration.

Yesterday I have a cockerel that had trouble getting up to roost and he would not come down from tree for meal worms. I had to climb up to get him. He looked like he was not all that aware. In that case weight good and his crop was distended with something juicy. He had a sweet smell. Drunk on fermented fruit in that case.

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

Thanks! He just drank a ton of electrolyte water. Hoping he'll be alright but who knows. He has no interest in food or catfood yet. Soon hopefully...

Feel his crop, if hard and full, give him coconut oil or olive oil, massage his crop. Gotta get whatever is clogging him up out. Put a little oil in his water also, don't give him any choice in beverage.
Good luck. I hate to see an animal suffering.

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

Thanks. We don't have his body because I'm pretty sure we figured out what he might have been sick from... I did some research and it looks like the weird slug he ate the other day might have carried gapeworm or highly toxic plants that it ate. I think we might skip the necropsy... We are also about to treat the coop for mites - we have red mites and also gray somethings which the mite treatment may eradicate anyways.
His weight was pretty good - he didn't dramatically lose weight like some of our past sick ones... Just a little bit lower than normal, I think, though I didn't weigh him properly.

Good. Mites just weaken the defenses when anything else pops up.