HELP!!!!!!!! I Think Barred Rock Roo Sick!!!!Plz any Advice!!!!!!!

[coltsrox]

haha, thanks so much

my sisters actually named him after our favorite chicken dish("chicken tikka massala", inhumane i know. Our hen is named Madiera, after "chicken madiera".

Anyways ok, well i just gave him crushed yolk in plain yogurt a bit ago and he ate almsot a whole tsp. full but then stopped when he realize i was seperate feeding him and his hen wasn't getting any so then they ate a bit together but she deinfety got more..anyways i will fix him oatmeal a little later tonight since i want him to be hungry. it seems he is drinkin more water, is this usual for a possible dehydrated chicken? i put some vitamins in it and they are addicted to it so i don't know if that added to it...

threehorses, i appreciate what u said about his tale. i do believe they fell out, as i started noticing that.of course health first but it is good to know, i would want him to have it back when he is healthy again...thanks so much.

so i guess for right now i just continue to love on him make sure he has plenty of water, give him his Poly-Vi-Sol, feed him yolk with yogurt and oatmeal...anything else i'm missing?

 

[JestersEye]

It sounds to me like you are doing all the right things, and from your description he seems to still have some energy and appetite. You should still offer him crumbles, or mix it into yogurt or oatmeal as mentioned. I only offered Cobalt the corn because I knew I would be away and wanted to offer him whatever I thought might get him eating again. He still had access to Layena pellets and crumbles, though. The yolk is easy and good to feed for extra protein, so keep that up. Cobalt was also getting beaten out of his share by his two hens, which is another reason that I brought him into the house and fed him alone. He acted so sleepy that he wouldn't eat well at all, and he seemed to lose weight. That's why I began hand-feeding him by putting food and water directly into his beak. He didn't regain his appetite until he got stronger. If your guy isn't eating enough, I would give him a few hand-feedings or TLC sessions away from his hen, just to make sure he's getting enough nutrients. Gradually, his comb and wattle should start to get darker again, too. At least he seems to be standing up for himself with the dog, which is a very good sign! Other positive signs include holding his tail high, crowing, and mating with his hen. That's what let me know that Cobalt was feeling like his old self, finally. Keep up the good work... Hopefully, he is on the road to recovery!

BTW, the guy at the livestock store mentioned that the symptoms sounded a bit like "equine encephalitis", which chickens can get from mosquito bites.

 

[coltsrox]

howdy, again thank yall for your help! and with the step by step

Massala update: I gave him yogurt twice and he ate lots,saw him peckin at the food, not sure how much he ate.

negative signs: around 12am i noticed one black spot on his comb. from a distance he doesn't look like he lost weight but when i picked him up i felt his breast bone, something i dont feel on the hen..

positive signs:

saw him eating with the hen their normal food at 6ish, which is dinner time for them.

then later at 8:30pm saw him for the first time, since this began, on his perch and then between then and 1am saw him on it 2 more time. he talks consistenly walks normally. only time he hunkers down is when i checked him for mites and lice and again found nothing. he eagerly ate the oatmeal almost even pushed the hen away something he never does. i made 1 human serving and gave them about 3/4 and they ate half and mixed some layena crumbles in the oatmeal.

hmmm, so could this be life threatening then? cuz how would i avoid a mosquito bite in the future? also what does the negative and positive signs mean? i only gave him one yolk today, should i be giving him more? what does the dark spot mean on his comb? it looks black....
also hand feed him? i gave him his oatmeal on a spoon tonight and when he wouldnt eat more and then he ate a bit more. but when he was young i used to hand feed him all the time ,and he doenst mean to but his peck is a little more hurtful then when he was a chick...do i still need to?

thanks yall i was so sure he was on his way to recovery until i spottted these negative signs....

 

[kathyinmo]

Could it be fowlpox? Here is a picture:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/204801.htm

 

[Eggs4Sale]

A lot of my roosters have a little black spot on their combs, I have no idea why. One has a lot of black spots on his comb, but they are all healthy and active.

Is the spot raised, like in the photo Kathy just provided? If not, it's likely nothing to get really worried about.

Massala is on the roost again, think of what a turn-around that is! That sounds much more important than a black spot.

Keep us posted... You're doing great!

 

[coltsrox]

Massala update:

the only reason i was really worried abaout the block spot is that it was never there before and just got there.its not really like the others ones its just a black spot not really a scab. ok well i picked him up and his breast bone was hurting me. 2. he's getting pickier last night he ate the oatmeal a bit this morning he took two bites at it. but neither will the hen eat it so i think they both don't like it. but then he won't eat the poly-vi-sol on his own anymore will i have to force it..how? the only think he really likes is the yoke in the egg....so scared he took a turn for the worst.....and still not crowing...

 

[JestersEye]

Hmmm... Cobalt never got any black spots on his comb, but it did start to appear purplish on the points at one point, or at least it seemed to since the rest had gotten so pale. I would be concerned about the loss of weight. It could be that he's pecking at food but not really consuming much. The protruding breastbone is what made me decide to start forcing food into Cobalt's beak, instead of leaving him to his own "pecking". At least he seems to like the yolk, so keep pushing that and the vitamins.

If it is something like equine encephalitis, then it is most often fatal. However, some birds can survive; especially if they get a lot of extra care early on. I don't know if that could be the cause in any of these situations, but if so, then keeping up their strength through adequate nutrition is very critical. Cobalt acted tired all the time, and not eating just made him all the more exhausted. I felt better about letting him sleep when I knew his crop was getting filled somewhat. It sounds like Massala still has decent energy levels, but if he is losing weight, you should do whatever you can to make sure he's getting enough calories and nutrients! I would give him Nutri-drench or vitamin supplements directly into his beak, if possible.

Cobalt also stopped crowing, btw, which was a big sign that he wasn't feeling up to snuff. He did eventually start up again after almost two weeks, but still isn't nearly as vocal as he was before his illness. I'm hoping he continues to improve in that regard.

 

[coltsrox]

ok hmm, its just hard becuz he is a bantam and he has such a small beak that i don't know how to force feed him...

Massala update: ok well just gave him some more yogurt which he ate but he attacked the yoke, he loves that! where would i get this Nutri-drench? his black spot seems a little smaller now. he mainly just sulks in the corner now....so scared...


again thanks yall for ur help

 

[dlhunicorn]

the oatmeal (human) should be cooked and mixed through his feed (just enough to make the feed clump together)... this has the advantage in that the bird tends to swallow more with each bite... (you can try mixing the eggyolk gently through the top to get him started) > you can also go to the petstore and get some baby parrot/bird formula > mix some of that through the oatmeal along with the general supplemental vitamin mix and then through the feed ... this will concentrate the nutrition and hopefully address the problem of him not eating sufficiently.

 

[JestersEye]

I was able to find the Nutri-drench at the local livestock feed store, but you might also try a pet store that carries parrot supplies. I actually have some of the baby parrot formula that dlhunicorn mentioned. I had purchased it once while I was rehabbing some wild birds, and had considered using it for Cobalt, as well. It would also offer added nutrients and much-needed calories.

It was actually quite easy for me to force-feed Cobalt. He is standard size, but a smaller, mediteranian breed (Blue Andalusian). All I did was gently pry open his beak (by pulling up slightly on the top half) and then scooping some yolk or crumbles into it while it was open. Then, I just let go and allowed him to swallow whatever was placed inside. I simply repeated this process over and over until I could feel a small bulge in his crop; mostly using my fingers, or sometimes a soft baby spoon to drop in a bit of yogurt mash. You may find that Massala won't object that much after the first few feedings.

I also used a small eye dropper to give him a squirt of Nutri-drench every few hours, followed by some medicated water (containing an antibiotic solution). The Nutri-drench actually comes with an eye-dropper in the lid, and has a "Rapid Recovery" dosage that is meant to be given directly into the bird's beak, as well as a dosage for using it as a water additive. This may seem like a lot of trouble, but I think this combination really helped Cobalt build up his strength again.