Ninja`s return Help needed

[Mr H]

Hi everyone five and a half years ago I joined here to try and save a small black chick I found on the side of the road, with help from you all I found it had Gag worm and an infection, you recommended the treatment and I managed to save it, He grew to be a Pekin Bantam cockerel and became an indoor member of the family, I called him Ninja.
Having had a lovely problem free five and half years Ninja is unwell at the moment and yet again my local vets know nothing about chickens accept to guess.
If I describe symptoms can anyone help me ?
He is eating but not much, it is passing through but small dryish poo`s, his red wattle and crown are quite pale compared with normal and breathing is heavy and strained, he stopped crowing 4 days ago and all this has come on gradualy perhaps over a period of 7 days.
He has never had parasite treatment because he rarely leaves the house (he can but chooses to go in garden only in summer)
Any help appreciated to try and save him because I fear the worse regards Steve

 

[Eggcessive]

At his age he is approaching older age for a rooster. Living inside might also expose him to a dry environment that might dry out his airway, or expose his to allergans. You say he had gapeworms when you found him. I would get a fecal test done by a vet to test for those and other worms. It could have been a chronic respiratory disease that might have been dormant, and has now become active.

Check his crop in the early morning when it should be empty, and tell us if it is empty, full, hard, doughy or puffy. Hard droppings might be from not drinking enough, or a crop or gizzard disorder. You can offer some chilled coconut oil 1 tsp that has been chopped into slivers to help soften his droppings. Do you feed him a balanced chicken feed, and offer him grit to take to help his digestion?

Look inside his beak and throat for any growths or yellow patches that might block his airway. Try giving him a good poultry vitamin for awhile to see if it helps.

 

[Mr H]

At his age he is approaching older age for a rooster. Living inside might also expose him to a dry environment that might dry out his airway, or expose his to allergans. You say he had gapeworms when you found him. I would get a fecal test done by a vet to test for those and other worms. It could have been a chronic respiratory disease that might have been dormant, and has now become active.

Check his crop in the early morning when it should be empty, and tell us if it is empty, full, hard, doughy or puffy. Hard droppings might be from not drinking enough, or a crop or gizzard disorder. You can offer some chilled coconut oil 1 tsp that has been chopped into slivers to help soften his droppings. Do you feed him a balanced chicken feed, and offer him grit to take to help his digestion?

Look inside his beak and throat for any growths or yellow patches that might block his airway. Try giving him a good poultry vitamin for awhile to see if it helps.

Thank you for the reply
We had been trying to think of anything in the last couple of weeks that may have contributed;
Central heating season started?
Our garden was flooded for weeks perhaps bringing in toxins and parasite eggs?
Damage from his Gag worm experience when young haunting him as a senior chap?

His crop is empty this morning and he had seven poos in the night (albeit small ones) he then had three of the gooey type this morning that he has once a day normaly.
We have now found a vet who understands chicken matters some distance from us but will be over there this afternoon.
Thank you again, I love this little fella and it would be awful to lose him if we could have done something not to Steve

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know if the vet has some thoughts. If you can offer some watery chicken feed, and some treats of cooked egg or canned tuna, those are usually tempting.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like your rooster is in grave condition. Air sacculitis and liver disease is either one very serious. I do hope he rallies, so that you don’t lose him for some time. Glad that you could see the vet. Let us know how he gets along.

 

[Mr H]

It sounds like your rooster is in grave condition. Air sacculitis and liver disease is either one very serious. I do hope he rallies, so that you don’t lose him for some time. Glad that you could see the vet. Let us know how he gets along.

Quick report on progress, Ninja is still with us and although he is eating very little his colour keeps coming back and then leaving him again so he is fighting hard, just grapes and sweetcorn going down at the moment but he is up and about, wandering around the house before settling down in front of the fire at the moment, fingers crossed

 

[Mr H]

Sure hope Ninja makes a full recovery.

Thank you he is a cracking little man with a big attitude and sits on our laps watching telly in the evening and on the back of my office chair when I am working, it would leave a big hole if we lost him

 

[sourland]

Good luck. I hope that he rallies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think if he were mine, I might try treating him with oxine in a nebulizer. I don’t know the details around that, but have read it can be quite effective.

https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/the-many-uses-of-oxine-ah-animal-health/

 

[Mr H]

Hopefully, he will get better. He sounds like he is a loved pet.

Well it has been a long weekend but my boy is still battling on, his breathing is still laboured and his appetite pretty poor but small amounts of food are still going in and out which must be good and he had a wander outside today for some fresh air before settling down with the dog in her basket for the afternoon, I know he is very weak and it could go downhill quickly but the longer he hangs on the more the anti-biotics will have a chance to do some good thanks everyone for the good wishes regards Steve