PLEASE HELP!! My rooster is sick....

[BekR03]

What is wrong with my rooster? I came home from work today and this is what he looked like!! I went in to the coop and he (Brooster) would not straighten up. I got some corn and meal worms to try and get him to come to me. This is VERY unusual for him because he MUST eat out of my hand everyday AND get his feathers rub. I am VERY worried about him. He is not a fighter (I got him from a man who had 2 rooster and the other rooster picked on Brooster so I got him) so I don't think he has fought with Ken (my other rooster). Any help you might have would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

 

[BantamLover21]

Can he hold his head up? Do you see any sign of injury? Feel his neck, does it feel broken/twisted at all? Besides injury, botulism poisoning is the one thing I can think of that causes a droopy head like that.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Can he hold his head up? Do you see any sign of injury? Feel his neck, does it feel broken/twisted at all? Besides injury, botulism poisoning is the one thing I can think of that causes a droopy head like that.

X2. It looks like it could be Botulism.

 

[BekR03]

I could not find any form of injury on him. I could lift his head up, but he could not hold it all the way up himself. How can I treat Botulism? I have put him in a separate coop away from the others.

 

[Wyandottes7]

I could not find any form of injury on him. I could lift his head up, but he could not hold it all the way up himself. How can I treat Botulism? I have put him in a separate coop away from the others.

The treatment for Botulism is a molasses or epsom salts flush. The molasses flush is slightly better, as it doesn't dehydrate the bird quite as much. The purpose of a "flush" is to carry the poisons out of the body. Make a molassess flush with one quart of water and four tablespoons of molasses. Encourage the bird to drink as much of the mixture as possible. Give the flush for no more than twenty four hours.

 

[BekR03]

We did find a dead cat on the other side of our property (I think the neighbors hurt and it died on our land) We could smell it for a couple of days until we FINALLY found it. We took the carcass to the dumpster at my husbands work (because they were picking up the next day where as ours we would have had to wait 3 days). The chickens are on the other side of our acre.

 

[BekR03]

Thank you! I am headed to the store now!

 

[morganrae3]

My rooster is looking the same exact way, head hung low, not wanting to walk around, etc.
what did you end up doing for your rooster? Did it help?

 

[BekR03]

I separated him from the rest of the flock. I then gave him the molasses flush that Wyandottes7 suggested. After I gave him that for the 24 hours I fed him chick feed (a friend told me that was fine), carrots, and only vitamin water. He slowly started to straighten up and a week and a half later he was doing everything he could to get out of his pen to get back with the rest of the flock (he is VERY much a ladies man!). He seems fine now, but I still keep an eye on him. I have started giving my flock a choice of vitamin AND plain water to drink.
I hope this helps!

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good link for info on botulism: http://www.avianweb.com/botulism.html