- Nov 18, 2013
- 11
- 0
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Hello! Sorry to join bearing bad news, but I'm in a panic about my rooster who seems to be on death's door
He is an 8-month old Araucana and such a sweetie, I'll be sad to lose him.
He hasn't crowed for the last week and his comb has been losing color. We thought maybe this was due to colder weather and lots of the hens are molting so we thought he might be preparing for the same, but his feathers are looking beautiful as ever (except his tail feathers are a little floppier). I realize now that we may have waited way too long to treat him. Today we brought him in and put him in a wire cage near the woodstove so he could recuperate in a warm and quiet space. He is still able to walk and trot, but he's much slower that usual. Still, he was difficult to catch to bring in.
Since he's been in I've noticed these symptoms:
-He is very thin, I can feel his breastbone jutting out
-His crop seems very hard and full
-His comb is faded to a dusty pink, even a little purple tipped. Reddening up slightly after being indoors for 6 hours.
-His poop is runny and green/ mucusy looking
-While I was holding him he opened his mouth upon inhalation, in his cage his breathing seems normal
-He is able to make a rare chicken-y noise, doesn't sound gurgly or anything, just little coos
-He is still not sitting down after being inside all morning/ afternoon, seems to prefer standing.
-He's barely drinking anything (I made an electrolyte drink of: water, sugar, baking soda, and salt). He ate some grains we sprinkled in and a whole scrambled egg. I just made him another egg for lunch but he's not touching it.
If anyone has any thoughts about anything I can do for him or what his diagnosis might be that would be much appreciated. I'm not going to rack up a large vet bill but I'm all about home remedies and taking the time to help him to recovery.
Look forward to 'talking' again on a not so grave topic!
Thanks and Peace
He is an 8-month old Araucana and such a sweetie, I'll be sad to lose him.
He hasn't crowed for the last week and his comb has been losing color. We thought maybe this was due to colder weather and lots of the hens are molting so we thought he might be preparing for the same, but his feathers are looking beautiful as ever (except his tail feathers are a little floppier). I realize now that we may have waited way too long to treat him. Today we brought him in and put him in a wire cage near the woodstove so he could recuperate in a warm and quiet space. He is still able to walk and trot, but he's much slower that usual. Still, he was difficult to catch to bring in.
Since he's been in I've noticed these symptoms:
-He is very thin, I can feel his breastbone jutting out
-His crop seems very hard and full
-His comb is faded to a dusty pink, even a little purple tipped. Reddening up slightly after being indoors for 6 hours.
-His poop is runny and green/ mucusy looking
-While I was holding him he opened his mouth upon inhalation, in his cage his breathing seems normal
-He is able to make a rare chicken-y noise, doesn't sound gurgly or anything, just little coos
-He is still not sitting down after being inside all morning/ afternoon, seems to prefer standing.
-He's barely drinking anything (I made an electrolyte drink of: water, sugar, baking soda, and salt). He ate some grains we sprinkled in and a whole scrambled egg. I just made him another egg for lunch but he's not touching it.
If anyone has any thoughts about anything I can do for him or what his diagnosis might be that would be much appreciated. I'm not going to rack up a large vet bill but I'm all about home remedies and taking the time to help him to recovery.
Look forward to 'talking' again on a not so grave topic!
Thanks and Peace
