Lou Can't Breathe!

[2boxers]

Lou is a six week old capon-unsure of the breed (He was Lucy til we figured out what a capon was.) He is smaller than his "siblings" who have already moved into the coop. Lou is still in the brooder, though he is fully feathered. He doesn't chirp, he breathes with his mouth open, he is lethargic but he is eating and drinking. Lou has been sickly from the git-go, and the other four capons tried to peck him to death last week. Right now he is hanging out with my bantams who are too little for the coop. If I try to separate Lou and the bantams (named Duck, Goose, and Turkey) the bantams get upset and Lou does, too.

Sorry to ramble. I am new to chickens and I am becoming quite the doting mother hen. Thanks in advance, y'all.

 

[silkiechicken]

Capon? At 6 weeks... are you sure? Sounds like a cornish x meat bird to me maybe? If so, at 6 weeks, if he's large, his heart could very well be giving out already.

 

[2boxers]

Lou is actually right much smaller than his "siblings". He isn't much bigger than my bantams who are roughly the same age. Actually, I counted wrong and they are five weeks. I honestly don't know much about chickens. My mother got these birds at Tractor Supply. They were the last 8 they had so she bought them all and gave them to me. I don't know what breed they are. Mommy Dearest told me they were capons, which we stupidly thought was a breed.

I am worried about Lou. The others are just fine, but poor Lou is struggling.

 

[silkiechicken]

Hmm... could just not be thriving if the rest are fine.

A capon is a male bird who has been castrated at 6 weeks old or so. So if you got them as chicks... they can't be capons. Maybe that's what they called their laying breed roosters meant for meat? I say post some pics to ID the chicks if possible.

As for the sick one, a quiet place for himsellf and a friend might be a good idea if he's not thriving. That way 5 others aren't trampling him. If you have poultry vitamins that may help too. Best of luck.

 

[2boxers]

Many thanks for the advice.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Oh, oh, oh, we had this happen to our Valentina. Something went wrong inside her, a birth defect or something. Failure to thrive. She passed away, there was nothing we could do...

I'm very sorry if this happens to Lou.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Pictures might be helpful too...
How are Lou's poops?

 

[2boxers]

Because my computer is a POS, I haven't been able to post pics of Lou.

I just checked on him-I think we are going to lose Lou. His breathing is raspy-it almost sounds like pneumonia? He had seemed to perk up earlier, but this evening he is barely rousing himself. He will not take feed or water, either. Earlier this morning he was doing both.

I fear we will have lost him by morning.

 

[2boxers]

Poor Lou. We lost him this morning. Thanks y'all for your help anyway.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm so sorry for your loss...