I think my rooster is depressed.

[Chicken lady1]

Can someone tell me if there is any such thing as an anti-depressant for chickens? I have a 4 year old banty rooster and recently he seems depressed. He doesn't really hang out with the other chickens. He is still eating but just isn't acting like the silly, happy little rooster that I know. He also isn't crowing. I hope someone can help me.

 

[countrygirl14]

Do you have any banty hens?

 

[Chicken lady1]

Yes, I have one. We seem to think that Banchie has been "ousted" from the pack but don't know why. There is another rooster that is about the same size as Banchie that seems to pick on him. I think we will re-home him and see if that helps.

 

[countrygirl14]

Hopefully all goes well. I think that should help

 

[Nambroth]

Can someone tell me if there is any such thing as an anti-depressant for chickens? I have a 4 year old banty rooster and recently he seems depressed. He doesn't really hang out with the other chickens. He is still eating but just isn't acting like the silly, happy little rooster that I know. He also isn't crowing. I hope someone can help me.

Acting "depressed" or an obvious shift in behavior (especially from being happy and peppy to being standoffish, quiet) can be a sign of illness. Birds have evolved to hide illness well, as a method of survival. I would recommend keeping a close eye on him. If he lets you handle him, consider checking his weight now and then, etc, and keep an eye out for illness.

I hope he is just sad and that having companionship will help him.

 

[Chicken lady1]

Unfortunately you are right. My Banchie is ill. I have never seen anything like this before. He is very swollen on both sides of his neck. Almost like he swallowed two large grapes and he is storing them on the sides of his throat. I started him on Tylan 50 (one drop in his nose twice a day). I don't know what else to do. I really hope he doesn't die, he's my favorite little rooster. Any thoughts?

 

[Nambroth]

Oh no! I am really sorry to hear it. This is what my rooster did when he started to fall ill, too, so I suspected yours might be unwell. Roosters are just too large for life to act that way most of the time, even mellow ones like my cochin.

What part of his neck is swollen, can you describe? Does it feel like small masses in his neck-- like actual fleshy "grapes" the way you described? (sorry, I don't mean to sound too gross)
Does he show any other symptoms? Is he eating and drinking well?
I'm sure you've checked for external injury such as scrapes, punctures? If he got into a fight with another roo, maybe he got spurred? I'm trying to think of easily fixable things, first...

 

[Chicken lady1]

It's on each side of his neck. At first I thought it might be his waddle but upon closer inspection I noticed that it is his neck. Yesterday it was one side and today its both. I'm really scared he's gonna die. I work all day and I have kept him caged so I haven't actually seen him eating but I think he is. I am at a loss!

 

[Nambroth]

So they are up high, nearer his head? No sign of injury, right? When roos fight, they usually target each other's heads... Make sure you aren't dealing with infected wounds.

Do you know how to check his crop to see if he has food or water in there? You can do it while holding him, and gently palpating the crop. It will feel sort of like a water balloon when there is liquid inside, and you should be able to feel the grains of his feed. If you feed pellets they might just be mush once you feel them in the crop. You can use this as a way to see if he is eating or drinking when you are not there.

When looking at you rooster head on, the crop will hang slightly to your left, at the very base of the neck. Here's an image:
http://www.poultryhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Anatomy-of-the-chicken-with-text.jpg