lethargic rooster with runny green stool

[fishinthewater]

Hi all,

I have a year old rooster that I just inherited from a friend (plus two hens). The rooster was fine initially but now has stopped crowing and has become very lethargic. Mostly he lays in the corner and won't rouse, which is very unusual for him. He has been looking a little droopy and his comb and wattle have been very pale for the past few days, but today was the first day he wouldn't get up at all, though he did come out of the house this morning. His stool is very watery and green. These are backyard chickens who live in a house with an enclosed run, so they have plenty of access to fresh air and grass. He is isolated in our shed for the time being, but I'm not sure what else to do with him. He will drink water if you put it very close to him, but otherwise won't move.

Thanks,

fishinthewater

 

[Blue_Myst]

I'm sorry your first post has to be under such dire circumstances!

Those are not good signs, I'm afraid. The watery green stool means that he isn't eating, or there is a blockage somewhere preventing the food from getting into his system.

How does his crop feel? Is it really full and hard, or full and squishy? If it is either of those, he may have problems passing food out of his crop, which would explain the symptoms.

Have you checked for lice or mites on the birds? Mites especially can bring a chicken down to poor health very quickly.

If you are able, you might want to try putting some sugar or electrolytes in his water. This may perk him up enough to eat. I believe it's 2 TB of sugar per quart of water, but I'm not sure about electrolytes. If you don't have electrolytes, Gatorade works well, too.

Good luck! Please keep us posted!

 

[fishinthewater]

This might sound strange, but I'm a first time chicken owner- how do I feel his crop?

I haven't seen anything that looks like mites or lice (I've been checking) but I'll keep an eye out.

I'll give the sugar water a try and see if he'll drink that.

Thanks so much!

 

[Blue_Myst]

You want to feel below the neck near the breast area. If there's any food in it, you'll know when you've found it. It is very close to the surface of the skin, so you don't need to press hard at all to feel it. Here's an article that tells more about it and what it will feel like if something is wrong: http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/chicken-crop/index.php

That's good, if you haven't seen lice yet it probably means they don't have them! The vent area, in the chest feathers, and sometimes under the wings are where they like to hang out the most. You'll probably see the egg sacs at the base of the feathers before the adults.

 

[fishinthewater]

I haven't been able to feel it! He just feels kind of squishy in that area.

He has been eating a little bit (I think) and he's definitely drinking plenty of water. He's been standing up a little bit more, but is still not crowing, and is very pale and droopy. And no improvement to his stool- it's still very watery and green.

I keep checking and still can't see anything that looks like mites or lice... he's just dirty on his backside from the watery stool.

Thanks for your help, we have our fingers crossed that he'll get better but at this point I guess we just have to wait and see.

 

[CassidyRose]

I am having the exact same issue! Very lethargic green runny poop, his comb is flopped over a bit. Yesterday was his worse day, he wouldn't get up. Today I picked him up to stand up, he kinda wobbled over to his water and started drinking a lot! Very happy to see that. I gave him some germe-zone in his water hoping it will make him feel a bit better. Haven't noticed him eating! Hope yours recovers okay!