Lethargic rooster, comb & wattles paler

[vbgarden]

Hi, Folks --

I'm hoping for some advice on a vague problem. This morning I noticed my orpington cross banty rooster, about two years old, seemed a bit less active and that his comb & wattles seemed "off color", more orange and not the usual bright red. He didn't dash around when I walked closer to check on him and let me corner him, pick him up and examine him more closely (that alone is cause for concern). I don't see anything I can pinpoint as disease - his neck seems okay, eyes are clear but not as snappy bright as usual, vent looks normal, no signs of mites, etc. He does have little black spots and tiny white on his comb/wattles that he's had for at least a year (I read the FAQ section on avian pox). No mucus, no wheezing, just looks puny and paler.

Just to be on the safe side, I did isolate him in our secondary pen away from the three chickens but I'm not actually sure how to treat him or how long I should observe him. Does anyone encountered this before or have any ideas of what I might look for? Is there a general vitamin/tonic I might dose him with?

I have week old chicks that will be moving into the coop/run area shortly and I do want to be sure that there is no problem in the existing flock. I'll really appreciate any suggestions y'all can come up with!

Thanks!

 

[bkterry]

I think one of my pullets may be having the same issue! I noticed a day or two ago that one of my 3 month old light brahma pullets is acting pretty abnormally. She barely moves around...seems to just stand or sit with one or both eyes closed. When I pick her up she will close both eyes. She does eat but she does not leave the coop with the other chickens when I let them free range. She's usually very friendly and loves to hop up in your lap or on your shoulder...I really don't want to lose her!

 

[vbgarden]

Hey, thanks for noticing my worried post.

Oh, I know what you mean about hating to have something wrong with one of the flock. My little rooster guy was one of a set of two that arrived in some "cast-off" banties from another farm. The beautiful Japanese bantams were easy to place - and I almost immediately regretted passing them on. The two little, very round, feather-footed banty males joined my group of Buff Rock hens. They are outnumbered and wa-ay outsized, but this little black rooster took dominance and, despite being half their size, does a very conscientious job of herding the "giant women" around the hen yard and in at night. We love the pairing - the little roosters don't tear up the chickens like the original, large Buff Rock rooster did.

I haved moved the little black rooster back inside our coop as a rain storm is arriving. He was again pretty easy to catch - not his usual lightning fast self. Eyes still clear, comb/wattles still very orange/yellow - not bright red and just kinda lethargic. Put him into the coop and he just sat there.

He can move okay. No nasal obstructions, no sign of any picky discharge, everything looks normal except that he looks and acts suddenly anemic. He may be swallowing - possible stuffed crop? I don't feel any enlargement. I do give them oyster grit and they are on dirt/sand/hay although they no longer free range since they dug up every living garden I had patiently planted.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Avia Charge 2000 or Rooster Booster. You may need to order on line which if you do right away will hopefully arrive within a few days. In the meantime, you may have more immediate access to Durvet Poultry V&E at a feed store.

What is your roo's diet? If on layer food, it may be too much calcium. Go to Game Bird Maintenance or even a Start n' Gro.

Can you post photos?

I hope you roo will be okay.

JJ

 

[jjthink]

bkterry, your bird sounds very ill. If you haven't already, maybe you can start a thread about her and provide all info you know so help can come quickly.
JJ

 

[vbgarden]

Thanks, JJ - yes, indeed, the rooster is in with his girls who get layer crumbles and cracked corn, along with some oyster grit and all the "snackies" from our veggie gardens. I knew not to feed our new chicks laying mash but, truthfully, I hadn't really thought about trying to feed the rooster separately. That's going to be tricky in practice, but maybe I can pen him separately for a bit and try the other feed. I'll also check our little feed store for supplements.

Ummmm... I have never tried uploading photos to the board. I'll go look for instructions.

Thank you so much for sharing your suggestions!
Sybil

 

[jjthink]

Sybil, You can put roo food out free choice along with all the other food. It's okay if the hens eat it because while it has less calcium they can always eat more oyster shell to make up the diff. That's what I do and everybody is happy. This may not be the source of your boy's current problem but if he has too much calcium it could affect his kidneys and that's not good. (not a problem for hens because they excrete calcium via their eggshells, an outlet the guys don't have). I don't yet know what your roo's problem is - it sounds like it came on pretty suddenly and may be something more acute, but might as well eliminate potential troubles to chip away at what could be compromising him. He's not by chance molting, is he? (my roo is molting right now and is tired...)
JJ

 

[vbgarden]

I'll be working on it! No molting signs yet but I'm not ruling anything out. I'll put up a note on how he's doing tomorrow.
Sybil

 

[sammi]

describe his droppings..color and consistency..

sounds like he might be anemic..
he could have worms..
has he been wormed?

best to have a fecal float done to check for worms and cocci..
he probably needs some extra protein..and vitamins..
but best to check if he has cocci asap.



bkterry...same for you..
best to start your own thread to list all the symptoms.

 

[dlhunicorn]

the spots on his combs are probably from pecks... If he has never been wormed I suggest you try this first with a broad spectrum wormer such as ivomec Eprinex (see article below)... treat all your birds if you have not done so before now would be my advice.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-iy&p=ivomec and your birds&type=