Help needed for possible respiratory illness!

[Sierradavette]

Hi,

About 6 days ago I went to a local swap and got a Japanese bantam pair. I love them so!

I went out tonight to close their coop off, and my rooster was just sitting on the top of the coop. He was very docile and I noticed he had a bit of foam on the sides of his mouth. I brought him in to inspect and watch him a bit more. No funny smells, nothing stuck in mouth. However he was doing light gasps with a cracked beak. Not deep gasps, but enough where it’s noticeable.

Every little bit, he would open and close his beak a few times and look as if he was swallowing.

I had someone tell me it sounds like dehydration, but I’m unsure if that’s true. His hen has no symptoms.

If upper respiratory, what are the treatment options and is it a promising outcome of survival? He just happens to be my favorite.

 

[dawg53]

Is he eating and drinking normally? The cracked beak could be affecting the way he eats and drinks, more importantly how he swallows.
Also, have you seen any saliva/mucus buildup in the back of his throat?

 

[Sierradavette]

Is he eating and drinking normally? The cracked beak could be affecting the way he eats and drinks, more importantly how he swallows.
Also, have you seen any saliva/mucus buildup in the back of his throat?

Oh, sorry! I meant he has his beak cracked open a bit, not that he has a crack in the beak. I have only had him for about a week, and the whole time him and his hen both seem to eat and drink a small amount. However, they are bantam so it’s possible it’s just my comparison to my full sizers.

Today, though, he didn’t seem super interested in the fresh greens I put out, and I think he either coughed/sneezed.

I initially looked at him because he had what looked like saliva coming from the side of his mouth, and still has that today. I’m assuming that is chicken mucus?

 

[dawg53]

Open his mouth and look at the roof of his mouth and the back of his throat, especially at the entrance to his esophagus for any white splotches which would be an indicator of a yeast infection.

 

[charlie1051]

Hi Sierra, how is your rooster doing now?