My 6 month old Barred rock bantam cochin rooster is sick and i have no idea whats wrong. Hes been acting very lethargic, and has a very bad sneeze/cough. He acts very tired and moseys around the pen, not looking very alert. Hes normally very chatty and active, but hes still talking a little bit. It actually sounds to me like hes crying He is drinking and eating and ive been putting Terramyacin in his water daily. Hes still with the hens but none of them are showing signs of being sick. Theres no discharge from the eyes or nose but he is starting to lose a lot of his feathers. Being as hes too young to molt its scaring me a bit, though the weather has shot up into the upper 80's for the past week which i suppose could have thrown him into a molt. He is my favorite bird and i would be heartbroken if anything happened to him. Any ideas or suggestions??
If he's coughing like that, you need to separate him from the hens till you can determine what is wrong with him. Molting will not cause him to sneeze and cough. Make sure he has unfiltered Apple Cider vinegar in his waterer, maybe three Tablespoons or so to a gallon. Give him yogurt and chopped fresh garlic to boost his immune system as well. A good vitamin supplement would be a good thing to have, too.
is it possible that worms or coccidiosis could make him sneeze like that?? im asking because it makes lambs cough, but im not sure about the chickens....
I doubt it. Now, environmental things can make them get a little sneezy, like dusty bedding or chemicals stored inside their coop area, but I've never had a chicken cough ever and I'd be really concerned if one did. The exception would be gapeworm in his throat, but that gets progressively worse and he actually will begin to choke as the worm grows.
he doesnt sound like theres anything going on in his lungs but i could be wrong. Nope, no cedar shavings. Pine shavings