help...rooster not doing well

[stevin]

one of my17 weeks old roosters seems to be ill. he just lays in the same general spot all day. this has been going on for a couple of days now. i've tried to stand him up but his legs seem to be very weak and he just flops back down to the floor. he's constantly dosing off and at times looks dead. yesterday i wanted to move him outside into the run for some fresh air and i noticed that his vent and surrounding area was covered in dark & bright green runny poop, as if he's just poopin while laying down. i've added electrolytes/vitamins to the water and dipped his beak in there several times. but i'm yet to seem him stand on his own to drink or even eat.

does any of this sound familiar to anyone? should i seperate him from the rest of the flock?

 

[chickensioux]

Have you checked him for lice or mites? Has he ever been dewormed? What do you feed? What does his crop feel like? These are just some of the things that could be going on. Good luck and I hope someone else might have an idea as to what is going on.

Make sure his vent is not completly blocked.

I would keep getting some nutrition to him. Several times a day. Offer him some treats like peas, yogurt, cottage cheese, anything to get nutrition in him.

 

[stevin]

i have looked him over for lice & mites. i didn't notice any critters, but then again i'm new at this and i might have just not noticed.
when a bird is infested with lice or mites, is it noticable? i've searched for pics of it and came up empty. does anyone have pics on what to look for?

i have not dewormed him or any of my chickens....yet. where should i start? should i treat the entire flock?

as for feed, i just switched lastweek to a non-medicated feed. i have 10 roosters that i will be culling at the end of the month so i wanted to get them off the meds. the feed i buy directly from a feed mill and it's usually milled the same day i buy it.

his crop feels completely empty and his vent isn't blocked. just the feathers around his butt are plastered with green caca.

thank you very much,
stevin

 

[chickensioux]

I guess I would start with deworming just him. Wormazole is a good dewormer that gets most types. You would be able to see a heavily lice/mite infested bird but maybe not just a few bugs. I would imagine he would have to be somewhat heavily infested to be acting the way he is. I would deworm first with whatever you end up purchasing for that. Just follow the directions on the bottle. It could be something that only a veterinarian could diagnose as well. These are the things I would start out with. I could also be coccidia, a one celled protozoan that can cause green diarrhea. If you want to be sure what you are dealing with, as far as deworming, take a sample to a vet and have them check it. They should be able to tell you what it is, even if it is coccidia. Good luck.

 

[stevin]

now i'm corcerned about my other chickens. i should have seperated him from the others.....oh boy.....

here comes the learning curve, time to slow down!!!!

unfortunately, i don't think going to a vet is an option for me.

will most feed stores carry a dewormer?
also, what could i use as a preventative for lice & mite? i've read about Sven or Seven powder....? is this correct? isn't that the same stuff you would use in the garden?

 

[chickenlady08]

If he is weak and can't stand then I suggest you research Ricketts. This is a Vitamin deficancy (sp). He is lacking Vitamin D and calcuim. I would search as I had a rooster couple years ago that was the same way. It took him to the vet and an xray revealed that he had thin bones and that was all she said. I researched the symptons and found a recipe for this. It has honey, yogurt, and egg yoke and I added more vitamins, calcium powder and oatmeal. It took a while and he is all better.

The vet did also worm him as well to start off the process.

good Luck

 

[carrlr]

I would isolate him. I always isolate to protect an injured or sick chicken as well as the others. Using DE seems to keep down on lice, mites and especially flies. I'd do a deworming, but if you plan to cull for eating, read the direction carefully.

 

[stevin]

when i got home from work yesterday my rooster was dead. (moment of silence)
i'm just not sure how long he'd been dead in the coop, it happened at some point after i left to go to work. i removed him and looked him over carefully trying to spot any mites or lice...nada. i did find him with 1 leg extended straight back and the other tucked underneath...??
now my concern is, should i treat the other hens and roosters that share the same coop & run with any type of meds?
what i did notice this morning when letting them out was that there was some greenish poop on the crapper catcher....
it wasn't runny, it actually looked very normal but kinda green. i just recently changed over from medicated chick grower to flock finisher which i believe has a higher corn content. this was recomended by the person at the feed mill since i plan on narrowing down the # of rooster i have at the end of the month. could the additional corn in the feed turn their dropping to a tannish green color?

thanx
stevin