Is rooster sick?

[kuntrychick]

My favorite roo acts ok but I've noticed his eyes don't look quite right. I'm not sure.

Here's his left eye. It appears a bit swollen to me.

Here's his right eye. Is something wrong with the color of the eyeball? It looks red to me. Also, I noticed in this pic that it looks like he has some dirt in his nostril. How can I get that out?

You can't see it here because I zoomed into his eyes so you could see them, but the tips of his comb is a little purple & has been for awhile...not sure if it's from last winter possible frostbite, or the other roo picking on him or from illness or something.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is a really good roo.

 

[kuntrychick]

Do I need to give antibiotics in water as a precaution? If so, what kind? Is it ok to let the rest of the chickens drink it? Eye antibiotic ointment? What kind?

Thanks!

 

[TheFarmMama]

Your roo appears to be a RIR-their eyes are normally that color, so don't worry. He does look a bit swollen. It's hard to tell in the pic...is the area around the eye swollen too or just the eyelids? Have you heard any wheezing or sneezing, any discharge or anything else abnormal?

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
I think just the eyelids are swollen. I don't see any discharge...haven't heard wheezing or sneezing. He acts totally fine with the exception he does shake his head some from side to side...kinda like saying "no".

 

[TheFarmMama]

Sounds like he might be a little congested. Roos will do that to get things off of their wattles too just so you know. They will also turn purple on the back of their combs from testosterone so if it's toward the back only that's probably why. You can give him some Tylan 50 either orally or just under the skin at the back of the neck. Your local feed store or Co-Op should have some (it says for cattle but it's safe to use). If giving it orally, do it under his tongue so there's less chance of it going into his lungs. You will give him .5cc since he is a large fowl breed. Bantams would get .25cc. Give him one dose a day for 5 days. Should clear it right up. It's a lot cheaper to get the injectable than water soluble. If you can't find it, www.firststatevetsupply.com/store has some at an affordable price and will ship quickly. You can also get 1cc syringes from them as well. Wet a q-tip with some warm water to get the dirt off his nostrils. You may also want to use some VetRX (also available at the feed stores or through First State, found it on Ebay before too) to help. You can put a drop in each of his eyes, in his nostrils and under the wings. Keep us posted on how he's doing

Feel free to email me if you need/want to. Hope that helps.

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
So if I give Tylan 50 whether by injection or orally, the dose is .5cc regardless?


Thanks for your help!

 

[kuntrychick]

Oh, I see...there's an injectable kind & a different one to go in water. If I choose to put it in water, how much would I put per gallon? And would it be ok for the rest of the chickens to drink it too? I was thinking it can't hurt...help get rid of any bacteria any of them might have as well.

And I will get the VetRx too.

 

[TheFarmMama]

Yes, the injectable will be .5cc whether you do it orally or under the skin. The others can have it if you get the water soluble kind, there's just a huge price difference. The dosage is on the bottle-I think it's like 2tsp. per gallon. If you get it from First State he includes the direction for dosing.

 

[kuntrychick]

I still haven't treated my roo. I'm not sure about injecting & how can I be sure to get it under his tongue giving it orally? I mean, it's hard enough to get him & get his mouth open...it's not like I can tell him "raise your tongue" LOL.

I went to TSC the other day & they didn't carry the water soluble kind. They were out of the Tylan 50 & only had Tylan 200. I was also gonna buy the antibiotic eye ointment, but they were out of it too.

I do have Duramycin-10 packet on hand. Can I use that? If so, how much do I put in water?

When I get the eye ointment, how do I administer that?

Thanks!

 

[TheFarmMama]

Some people can do the injections, same can't and that's fine. It's not that difficult to give it to them orally...just open his mouth and stick the tip of the syringe towards the underneath of his tongue. It doesn't have to be perfect you just don't want to shoot it down the back of his throat and do it somewhat slowly so he can swallow, not choke. If you're talking about the Terramycin ointment it won't do anything for him. He doesn't look like he has an eye infection so I wouldn't bother if it were me. You can give Tylan 200 you just decrease the dosage. So instead of .5cc you'd give between .1-.2cc for large fowl. Since it's so much stronger you give one dose, than give a 2nd dose in 24hrs if needed. You can try to Duramycin-10 using 2tsp per gallon of water and it needs to be changed every 24 hours or sooner. Give for 5 days. It can be rather bitter so you can add in a pinch of strawberry or cherry jello to mask the flavor.