My rooster has labored breathing, somebody help me save my BUFF

[BUFFORPSMOM]

I have a beautiful Buff Orpington cock. He "followed my son home from school one day". Hmm? His partner is a tough "Road Island Red" that recently started picking his neck feathers (off). It doesn't seem to bother him too much, its kinda like a good back scratching. It starting to make hime look like he is sick. While checking him for mites I noticed his breathing was like he was really working at it (labored). He usually keeps his sack filled, but recently it doesn't fill up like it used to with the same amount of food. Also, he has what I am calling "Labored eating". He stops and rests every once in a while like its taking all of his energy. And I'm hand feeding him....I every once in a while help him drink by pourong water into his beek.
Is there anyone out there that can help make him better.
I just finished a 7 day antibiotic shot treatment, so his breast bone area is tender, and it sticks out a little, ;like he's lost weight. Lastly, he limps around favoring the right side, probably because the left side was harder to give him the IM shot. I've had this fella for about 8 years, He's always been a stalky little bada$$, with little attitude. My husband thinks he might be just getting a little older and therefore just slowing down . My husband says he looks like my husband feels. - just getting older..."i can still put'em up though" he says...lol

 

[fried green eggs]

I'm Sorry. It sounds like your BO has had a pretty long and very good life. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044 Here's a link that may help. Good Luck

 

[chickschool]

Honestly it I don't know that much about a chicken's life span which is why I rely on this forum A LOT but it does sound like your little man might be at the end of his life cycle. I wish you and him the best and hope for the everything works out well.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

i have had them 12 or 14 years. He is probably wormy,. You need to worm him and don't know what shots you gave him but apparantly what he has is resistant to that antibiotic you should change and give him something else. I have had them live long time and then had them die at this age. I think chickens are just like people and have different lifespans. I always try to save them though even if they are older. Just feed him special change antibiotics and give him childrens multivitamin. I like to feed them boiled eggs when they are sick also. Have you tried oxytetracycline. Sometimes when everything else fails that works for me. I use either powder or injectable.

 

[BUFFORPSMOM]

my husband and I gave him twice a day 1.8ml IM of Timentin. It seemed to help a little bit his eating improved along with his breathing. Now that the shots are over with he breaths heavier, is back to hand feeding but not as much as previous, and is sleeping with his beack resting on his cage almost all day. Unless I take him out to feed him. I keep making sure he isn't going to die on me by waking him up through the day and all through the night. Of course, that limits my sleep time. He is worth it. So what help can I get with little or no money. I can't afford to put him in the hospital or even pay to find out if he is sick, injured, or just (SOB) dieing of old age. WHICH I PRAY HE IS NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR THE LATER ONE. I READ SOME WHERE THAT THEY CAN LIVE AS LONG AS 30 YEARS. WOW!!!!! I would love to grow old with my BESTFRIEND. I named him BABY for a reason. He is and allways will be my little BABY BOY rooster. He act like it too.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

not sure if you have any tylan 50 and penicillin But I am strong believer in them. Regular size chicken I give 1/2 cc of tylan 50 and 1cc of penicillin under skin in breast then 1/2cc by mouth of tylan 50. I give the orally every day x 5 days , If it is bantam i would give 1/4 cc of tyaln 50 and 1/2cc of penicillin under skin on breast. and 1/4cc of of tylan 50 orally x 5 days. Anyways is medication I always use and seems to work best on respiratory. I usually get it at tractor supply, vet supply, or atwoods. Valley Vet sypply online has it to wear you can order it and recieve it to your door probably not as fast as you need but is idea. Good luck and I willl pray for you.

 

[BUFFORPSMOM]

thank you. I will give it a try. Do you know what gapeworm is? Also, Baby's hen Strawberry isn't sick or is she even starting to get sick, this is a good thing but makes me wonder if he is sick at all. My husband says he looks as if he might be in pain. I have a stethescope and I took a listen to his heart and lungs. I'm not an expert but , his heart sounds too paused after a very musical beat . my husband heard the same thing.also today while hand feeding him some bread the first bite he took appeared to be very hard for him to swallow as if something was stopping him from moving it all the way down. witch caused him to breath heavier and with his mouth opened wider. i did let him go out side for a while and i noticed he walked rather slowly with a limp. right now i have him in his cage where he is resting in the corner with his face pressed against the cage wall, with the tip of his beak out of the cage, while he breathes heavily. Can chickens develop heart issues as they grow older? Also one last thing, the lump to lubricate their feathers, has been swollen for years. The doctor said it is plugged because i bathed him too much, so he is dependent on me cleaning him instead of him cleaning himself. I was leaving hot compresses on it, but it only created a smaller lump on top of the old one. Does anyone know how to assist me on this issue as well, or should i just continue the hot compresses? Thank you.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I am so sorry you baby is sick. Chickens can have heart issues just like people. But alot of times die quickly from them. I work with injectable ivomec and give them shot on their back under their skin. I give a big chicken 0.07 under skin. I use 1cc tuberculin syringe to give them so dosages accurate. It seems to clean up any worms. I will use safegaurd wormer for goats too. " Safeguard Liquid goat wormer- 1cc per 10lbs of bird, then ... Dosage is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standards, 1/4cc for smaller birds. " Those dosages have worked well for me. Whenever any chicken gets sick for me anymore I just start off with dose of womer in case worms is causing problems, especially an older bird. I don't know about the oil gland on him never seen one have any problem before. I would for sure give him antibiotics though.

This is picture of syringe and you can see 1/10 of 1cc is shown and you can easily count 7 lines before you get to the 1/10 of cc. I give my hens ivomec plus to get rid of liver flukes and mites and worms at times and it sure helps. I had bantam hen gasping one time and I felt it was gapeworms and this got rid of them.
Sorry I would have got back to you sooner but I was working and couldn't get on. My hours are obnoxious sometimes.
When I have sick chicken I will give them ensure or ensure plus. Really it has such good nutrients in it that they do so much better. If I don't have any ensure I mix baby formula with an raw egg I either give it by tube down their throat and fill their crop or I will pour it on bread and give them pieces of bread with this good nutrition on it for them to eat. I will give them bite at time making sure they swallow so I don't choke them. If they don't want to eat I put it towards back of throat and they tolerate that quite well usually if not to weak to swallow.
Anyways heat packs are always good for sick bird. By putting heat packs on his gland I bet you are helping him in alot of ways. I will watch and let me know how he is doing.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

Both of these have good tube feeding info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/722041/how-to-t-feed-a-sick-chicken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7933

I seen this posted by another person on backyard chicken and just loved the detail of these directions and thought that you might like to see them. I hope i helped you.

 

[BUFFORPSMOM]

To all that have read my cry for help and replied, THANK YOU! But, on Tuesday around 7pm my Buff O Baby of 9yrs past away at the vets. I took him in to get his blood taken so to check if his liver or kidney was causing him problems. My little rooster Baby took 1 last breath and while closing his eyes he died. His heart finally gave up on him. They tried to get his heart to start beating again with medicine but it did not help. I wish I could have been there with him so I could have said goodbye. I have yet to stop being sad that he is no longer a part of my life. I miss him so very much. I will never forget him.
bufforpsmom forever.