Isaac, My 5 Year Old Delaware Rooster....Old Age is Closing In On The Big Guy (Long Story)

[aoxa]

I will say this, aoxa: I do believe that completely natural, unadulterated foods, though higher in fat, eaten exclusively while avoiding all processed foods (say, shopping the outer edges of the grocery stores, as some would describe it) is what would bring this country back to health. We are doing better, but we live on a very limited budget. We could not afford coconut oil even if we wanted to due to the cost. Cheaper alternatives, if we use oil at all, are what we must buy. It's one of those very expensive foods that folks who live below the poverty level just can't think of buying, at least on any regular basis.

So, back to Isaac, who is not getting any coconut oil, lol. He did have a warm castor oil leg massage as well as having it rubbed into his wattles and comb. We'll see if it helps the big guy. He has had two doses of Tylan so far for his suspected pneumonia. Seems to be breathing slightly better. His eyes are bright and clear and he is still crowing in the basement.

It is definitely pricey. We buy ours at Costco and it lasts half a year.

I hope he comes around!

How are his feet looking?

 

[speckledhen]

His feet are not looking worse, most toes are looking better. That one toe still bothers me, looks whitish and is stiff from last joint to nail, but it hasn't turned black so hard to say what will happen there. His breathing is more important right now. Can't breathe, toes don't matter much.

 

[1muttsfan]

I understand that in people tart cherries in all forms (fresh, frozen, dried, and as juice) helps prevent gout attacks. Aspirin may make gout attacks worse, as it sounds like it increases crystal formation.

Hope he feels better!

 

[speckledhen]

I stopped giving Isaac any aspirin at this point, though he apparently doesn't have gout after all. He doesn't seem to be in any appreciable pain right now and his legs hurt a bit less, probably because he's not doing roosterly duties all day long. I just hope that he can go back to the coop when this is all over with. Even divided up, Deacon is on the side where Isaac will be and Deke is becoming more accepted by the hens I've allotted to him and Ike. They're allowing him to roost among them, a huge improvement over his usual nightly accommodations, i.e., roosting on a separate bar by himself. If Isaac comes back, though Deacon was afraid of him when I removed Isaac from the coop, he may think those are now his own hens. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, though. We still have some bitter winter weather to get through and Isaac has to get over all this stuff with his feet and his breathing.

 

[aoxa]

I stopped giving Isaac any aspirin at this point, though he apparently doesn't have gout after all. He doesn't seem to be in any appreciable pain right now and his legs hurt a bit less, probably because he's not doing roosterly duties all day long. I just hope that he can go back to the coop when this is all over with. Even divided up, Deacon is on the side where Isaac will be and Deke is becoming more accepted by the hens I've allotted to him and Ike. They're allowing him to roost among them, a huge improvement over his usual nightly accommodations, i.e., roosting on a separate bar by himself. If Isaac comes back, though Deacon was afraid of him when I removed Isaac from the coop, he may think those are now his own hens. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, though. We still have some bitter winter weather to get through and Isaac has to get over all this stuff with his feet and his breathing.

I'm ready for spring...

This winter is the worst I remember. Temperatures have been so frigid for days on end... I thank my lucky stars my barn is insulated. I do not let them outside unless daytime temp reaches -10 or higher. Anything after that they stay in... What can they really do outside anyway? The snow is deep. Fresh air is about the only benefit to opening the doors. I keep windows cracked for fresh air exchange.

We did have our regular January thaw and lost half the snow we had, but still have at least a foot.

Keep him toasty warm. What other possible things can help with breathing? Possibly a humidifier.. If you have one... If it helps humans breathe with more ease when they have pneumonia, I assume it may help a chicken. Obviously only inside the house.. Humidity in the coop would be a terrible idea this time of year.

I've had Bronchitis so many times.. I had it once when I was a kid, and it reocurrs every few years.

A few natural remedies to help with the discomfort:
Humidity
Rest of course
Lots and lots of water

Also read about Almonds helping... Here is a quote from Discovery Health:
Quote: I wonder if they'd have any effect with chickens...

Don't mind me thinking out loud. Feel free to ignore my ideas. Just trying to help.

 

[speckledhen]

I do have a cool air humidifier into which I could add a tiny bit of Oxine, which would combat bacteria or anything else in his lungs. It's rather cool in the basement, though, since outside this morning, it's now at 8 a.m., 3*. It probably hit 1-2* earlier. I'm not keeping him really warm because I think that would hurt him when and if he goes back out into the winter air, but it's probably in the 50's in the bathroom down there. His breathing might not be noticed so much by someone who wasn't attuned with him, but it's a deep, almost "scrapey", labored sound in the lungs. He has no discharges or anything like that and he can belt out a crow, so he can't be too bad right now. If he had an advanced case, that crow would sound very weak and/or gargly. I think we caught it very early. Helps when you have a sweet rooster who doesn't mind a hug, lol.

 

[crazyhen]

Ditto, Cyn. I am still working on the hug part with mine. After having an amerucuana roo that attacked me this one is a sweety. I am careful not to provoke him.
If I want a hen from the flock I make sure he is inside and can not see me. No sense making him to protective. He is pretty. One of kathys roos. A Delaware.

 

[speckledhen]

Ike's feet are healing up very well. Black crusty stuff is peeling off as new skin takes over underneath. Only one small area concerns me at the end of one toe, but otherwise, his feet will be okay. He runs out of breath quickly, though. Took him outside in the presence of his son, Deacon, to see if Deacon would challenge him. Deacon is still VERY afraid of daddy, lol, who outweighs him by several pounds. He screamed and ran when Isaac chased him a little.

Isaac went to the fence to look at his girls. They all ran to the fence in a group to fawn over him and acted like they were paying homage to some rockstar! It was so cute! They all obviously miss him and respect him. Rex was so jealous. He and Ike got into it at the fence. Then Rex cheated and went away from the fence and pretended he'd found something to eat. Some fell for it, but some refused to leave Ike.

 

[crazyhen]

I hope he continues to improve. Maybe he will soon be ok for a flock of his own again. Two more months of winter to get though. I keep hoping that we will have a nice warm March. We had an actual really warm one the yr. we got the land ready to put in our home up there. I sure miss it terrible. I can barely wait to return .

 

[1muttsfan]

Good news.

Do you think his breathing is improving? I could see where congestive heart failure would affect his circulation and make him more susceptible to cold.