Our Roo Has Died!

[the wild tigheberries]

I am posting this because I am desperate to discover what killed our beautiful roo. I have scoured the internet, esp. byc, posted questions and visited chatrooms. I called several chicken owners and feed stores.

Last week, he turned up with a swollen neck--not crop. It looked like he had swallowed a tennisball and it was lodged just under his beak. It wasn't really hard, or soft. It was solid, but also squishy and did not seem to be filled with liquid. He could not stand with his head up because the weight was heavy. He did not have bad breath and his crop was not swollen. He seemed like he was going to die on Thursday night but after we got some antibiotic/water/gatorade into him, he rallied a little and was able to sleep. Because of the weight on his throat, he did better on his back because the swollen area kind of hung to both sides. He seemed lest listless each time we were able to get some stuff into him but the swelling did not go down at all. Finally, we went to tend him on Saturday morning and his eyes were closed and he was breathing very shallowly. My husband put him down by closing off his air. It didn't take long and he did not struggle. He never opened his eyes.

No one seems to have ever seen this happen in a chicken. We wonder, could it have been a snake bite or bee stings? We couldn't find any visible marks--just the swelling. Otherwise he looked fine. Can you give a chicken Benedryl? There were just no answers when we needed them.

Can anybody help? Any similar situations?

 

[Capone]

i dont have any answeres for you but im sorry for your loss

 

[CMV]

I can't help you with what killed your roo, but I can tell you that Benadryl is OK for chickens. I don't remember the dose off-hand, but it does work. Sorry about your roo.

 

[MissJenny]

Welcome to BYC. I am so sorry for your loss and your heart ache. Do you have a vet who can do a necropsy? Some people put their birds in the freezer till they can find a suitable vet. Is there a vet school in your state?

Jenny

 

[ErieSpurs]

The symptoms sound almost like a botfly.

I've had them infect rabbits before, so I'm not sure if chickens can be infected. The symptoms are identical though.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Quote:
Wish I could be of help with your roo, but if you're considering a necropsy, please don't freeze him - REFRIGERATE ONLY. Freezing damages the tissues needed for testing.

And even with refrigeration, time is of the essence. Tissues begin to degrade immediately after death. For best results, a necropsy should be done *ASAP* that same day - but depending on the cause of death (such as something obvious to the naked eye like tumors or egg binding), results can still be obtained up to 24-48 hours later. But microscopic testing at that stage is difficult and results may be inconclusive.

I hope you find out why he died - its tough when something like that happens and you have no explanation for it.

 

[purpletree23]

First let me tell you how sorry I am about your roo. I'm sure he will be simmed.


Did you, or can someone for you cut open the swelling to see what it is? That is really the only way to get a more definate answer to your question. It could be so many things they are impossible to list. Tumor, infection, botfly etc.

When did it start hand how long did it take to get the size it was? Was it a fast/slow grower? What did the outside look like? Can you post pictures?

Again I am very sorry.

 

[the wild tigheberries]

Our daughter took a picture on Thursday. I will try to remember to post it tonight. We did not have the money to pursue necroscopy, and did not excise the area. In retrospect, we should have. I will research botfly--I've never heard of it.

I will tell you that this roo was a nice bird. He came to us only last December as an adult and has been appropriately protective with his girls. He has never injured them and has never been threatening to the adults or the kids in our family--no more than a little warning here and there. My husband buried him.

I will post later. Thanks so much for your kind words and suggestions. He was a trooper until the end.

 

[ErieSpurs]

Sorry again about your loss.

Botfly is an insect that lays its eggs on the ground. Many times near manure piles or animal burrows. When an animal ingests the eggs, the larva begin growing and can cause a lot of damage. They will get a big lump usually around the neck. The lump will grow until the larva bursts out as an adult. I'm not sure if there is a good way to treat the area to prevent it, if in fact it was a botfly that killed your bird.