New Emergency

[DesertBrahma]

I have a 3 month old Brahma Cockerel. He was hatched September 3rd. Yesterday my husband saw him kind of flopped over and said he wasn't getting up right. I looked him over let him go and he walked into the coop just fine. He's in a flock of 17. All large Brahmas. He and the other 4 are the youngest, and an accidental hatch. Today I went out to check on him, and to gather the eggs and he started walking really hunched over where his rear was in the air. I went to catch him and he started flapping and fell. I checked him over really well after catching him and didn't feel anything wrong, but he was wobbling where he stood in the carrier i have him in. He's now set up inside the house with deep little in a medium dog crate, with food and water. I feed Nutrena Feather Fixer which is 18%, and also give scratch, black oil sunflower seeds, and meal worms. They "free range" in a large backyard because we have coyotes, feral dogs, and feral cats. I lost 1 chick to a hawk a month ago that was brazen enough to come back over and over until it finally lost interest and was afraid it was really me out there instead of a scarecrow lol. Little Dude has bright eyes, clean skin, healthy looking feet and legs, and good color comb and wattles. He's not wheezing, or snotty. He'll probably become a pet if i can get this poor baby better.

 

[PeepersMama]

See if he's got something stuck to his face. Sometimes my gils will walk backwards and weave their head side to side when they've got dirt in their eye.

He might have an ear infection. Kinda weird but it could very well be. Inside a chickens ear is filled with fluid and is lined with tiny hairs, and whenever a chicken moves its head, the fluid sloshing against the hairs tell the brain exactly where the birds head is in relation to it's body. A loss of coordination can be cause by a tumor pressing against the inner ear, or a disruption between the brain and the ear. The only way to ID if it is a tumor is to have an X-ray done, but sadly the average BYC keeper either can't afford it or find a vet who will work with chickens. Unfortunatly, an inner ear infection is not treatable, so hopefully that's not what he has. It ws the first thing that popped into my head

I hope you figure it out!

 

[DesertBrahma]

He doesn't have any dirt on his face or in his eyes. His ears look really clean on the outside. He doesn't have any mites, or lice either. I've checked him over really well.I keep a close eye on my chickens. I've had 1 chicken before that had a bad mite problem. She passed away. Little Dude is going to be kept inside for a few days to see if he gets better. We've had some nasty wind, and the weather has been wonky lately. We don't have any vets around here that treat chickens. So it's not like I can take him in.

 

[PeepersMama]

I don't have a chicken vet either, so I feel your pain. It'd probably be to expensive anyway. Let me know what happens!

 

[azygous]

His symptoms can be from a strained ligament in his leg to being the victim of ingesting a neurotoxin. Is it possible that anything containing benzene has been used or spilled on the soil where this cockerel has been hanging out? It only takes a tiny bit, say a few drops of oil based paint or paint thinner or ant or wasp spray, to affect a chicken. They pick up contaminated sand and grit for their gizzard and end up not being able to stand or walk. Death is usually the end result, I'm sorry to say.

 

[DesertBrahma]

No toxins in the yard my chickens are in. Heck it used to be my backyard where my dogs were before they passed away. I don't use rat poison because I have cats and kids, so they couldn't have gotten any of that. My outdoor cats don't mess with my chickens because they're almost bigger than the cats. I'm careful about what is allowed in and around the yard and coop. It's their yard. Nothing is allowed back there unless it's meant for them. Heck I supervise my husband if he has to do any repairs around the backside of the house or around the fence to make sure everything gets picked up, and the chickens don't get ahold of it. I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to my animals. I don't even use pesticides in fear they could harm one of them or my kids. He's been eating and drinking fine today. I've brought him out of the carrier to see how he was standing and he still wobbled. So he'll stay in the carrier for a bit. No one else is exhibiting any signs of being sick or injured. Even out of his hatch brood no one is showing any sickness. He didn't fuss at me as much today when i picked him up so he's not as upset at me. He's still shaking some from stress of being removed from the flock. He's been quiet and relaxed which is good. If he starts improving I'll give him a bigger area but I don't want him hurting himself.

 

[PeepersMama]

I'd keep him in as small an area as possible until he has almost completely stopped wobbling. Give him a chance to heal without getting the chance to make it worse.

 

[DesertBrahma]

He can stand and move a little in this carrier. It's the same one i use to take my almost 20 lb cat to the vet in. I have a small food bowl and water bowl in with him. I've taken him out once to check him so far. I'm just going to let him kick back and relax with plenty of food and water and a little exercise while i clean his "hospital".

 

[PeepersMama]

Sounds like a good set up to spoil a chicken rotten in

 

[DesertBrahma]

He's already gotten my boys left over apples. They ate half of them and wanted to give the rest to him. He ate them lol. I did peel them and removed as much as I could from the cores before giving Little Dude the flesh lol.