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Hi, and thank you so much for your response..
Let me say first that I could not get online for awhile (would not connect) to see if anyone answered here, so called my vet to ask if it was safe to worm my rooster with what I had, which is Wazine 17, which says on the label not to give to sick or debilitated or weak chickens, and she told me I could give him the Panacur I give my dogs and cats!! Who knew? Just one dose..So in case it IS worms causing him the problem, that will take care of them..
He is about 4 yrs old, half Game rooster, and apparently fell from his roost one night about 3 weeks ago, landing across a brick or something on his back, injuring it. (Fell from having a stroke? Heart attack? Heat from earlier in the day? I don't know.) When I went out there the next morning, he was hopping on one foot. 2 days later, he had a visible swelling on his lower back, and the leg he could not walk on doesn't do anything..It has drawn up some and the main joint will not extend. Meanwhile, he began losing weight and getting weaker til within a few days, he could not stand on the good leg.. When he first went down, I put him on Aureomycin in case he had something else going on, and to hopefully prevent pneumonia..It made him want to eat more, but his face skin was drying out, turning white.. I talked to vet about the swelling, and she suggested a steroid to possibly reduce the swelling, so we put him on that..It worked somewhat on the swelling..After 7 days of the antibiotic, I took him off thinking that was what was drying him out..Several days later he was dryer looking than ever, and his comb was going pale..When I would gently press on his comb, where I touched would turn white, then slowly go back to red..Has to be dehydration..I have been giving him water,medicated or otherwise, with an eyedropper, but he only takes so much then shakes his head violently..I have NO CLUE how much fluid a 2-4 pound chicken should take in a day..I added vitamin and electrolite powder to his water several days ago..Still dry faced..He began having a bit of labored breathing, so I started him back on the Aureomycin and will keep him on it the full 14 days if he lives long enough..His breathing was better this morning..
I am about to lose my own chicken brain trying to figure out what to do for him..He EATS..He picks grains a lot during the day..and he will eat a little watermelon, or a little corn, or a little bread every day..He gets around using his wings, but it wears him out and he pants for a bit every time he moves himself..That's how weak he is..Yet when I hold him up he can flap his wings really hard, and it doesn't make him pant unless it's super hot time of day..
I have set up a fan for him a few days ago when it got really hot..He is outdoors in a covered pen under big shade trees..I am afraid to bring him in the house because I can't bring his brothers in with him, and I fear the temp change might hurt him going back and forth..
Do you know how much water a chicken needs in a day?? I should have asked my vet while I had her on the phone..Oh well....
Thanks,,,,,
