Please please help...something is wrong with my much-loved Rooster!

[chicken_grrl]

Hi, I'm new here!! I'm hoping someone can help me!

I have a 6 year old Rooster who is much loved and I have had him since he was mere days old. Recently he seems to have been sick. Mostly he just sits around all day and doesn't move much; for the past week he has also been making much less noise/not crowing.

I tried feeding him some mush and he barely even glanced at it.
I have seen him sort of preening himself a couple times but again is so listless at it. His oil gland also looks funny, sort of crusted over with yellowy stuff.

He is "poofed" up while he stands, sort of hunched up looking like he is cold but he isn't.
He is outside right now standing in the nice sun. Sometimes while he is standind he just sort of closes his eyes. He does not roost at night for the past couple of nights (sleeps on the ground of the chicken coop) and sometimes he sorta tips and shuffles to regain his balance while standing.
I have noticed he also has been losing weight.

His beak is kinda curved over in the front, like it would be hard for him to pick up food, but I don't think that is it, since he doesn't even try to eat.

Please, please, help if you know anything and what could be wrong. Any suggestions would be great on what I could do. I love my rooster very much and don't know how much time he has left, and help/support/stories would be great. Thank you so much.

~mo

 

[shay20]

the same thing happened to my 3 month old pullet, try some apple cider vieger in his water. does his belly feel hard?

 

[shortcake1806]

I'm so sorry to hear your sweet boy isn't doing well. Have you tried giving him some antibotics or vitamins?

 

[chicken_grrl]

Hi,

no his belly does not feel hard. He has been this way for only the past week or two, but doesn't seem visibly sick besides the listlessness and just standing around.
His feathers are all nice and his comb looks still red and healthy.
He won't eat/drink anything though which is what worries me.

Do you guys think I should take him to the vets?

Thank you.

 

[rooster-red]

Check him over for signs of lice or mites.

Mites are hard to see but they will lay eggs in a clump at the base of the feather shafts.

Lice will gather close to the vent, sometimes they leave tiny scabs were they have been sucking blood.

 

[Biddieacres]

This same exact thing happened to my 10 week old. It was just a mystery. Never could figure it out. There were no mite and no signs of any problems.

Does his poo look green? Has he been de-wormed? Can you get some electrolyte water in his beak with an eye dropper? He needs to eat. Does he glance at treats? How about scrambled eggs?

I would separate him from the flock and take him in and try the eggs and electrolyte water.

 

[Biddieacres]

I am wondering if it is cocci. Birds with cocci will be ruffled and be listless. They also loose their appetite. Also, I have read that they can have cocci and not have a bloody stool. If he does have cocci he can be treated with meds from your feed store.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Chickens can have off days just like people, but he clearly isn't feeling well. Keep him warm, offer dairy products, fresh greens, vitamins and electrolytes, a higher protein diet, sunshine, yadda yadda. Those symptoms are very vague, so it's hard to pinpoint. What other diseases have you dealt with in the past? Sometimes that helps. In my experience at my property a bird that's "feeling off" either has coccidiosis or Marek's Disease, usually the latter. Be sure to keep his appetite up by offering his favorite treats. Meal worms are great too. Sometimes birds recover if you can just prevent them from becoming really depressed, so let him see and hear his flock mates and give him a large cage. Keep us updated on any new symptoms!

Reread your post... it could possibly be coccidiosis. Go ahead and treat your whole flock with a coccidiostat or ACV.

 

[Cetawin]

Has he ever been de-wormed? If so, how long ago? How is his poo looking...normal?

Scramble an egg for him, give him veggies, plain yogurt and make sure he has electrolytes and vitamins in the water.

 

[chicken_grrl]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies and suggestions.

I apologize for the vague symptoms, but I listed everything I could see was wrong after looking at him for awhile.

My Rooster is the same today. I'm not sure if he has mites/lice...none are visible although around his butt he's a little bald which I heard are signs of mites. But the hens do unfortunately hen peck him alittle around there so that could be the case also.

My chickens have never been dewormed. I have been raising chickens for 6ish years and have never had any problems with worms or lice. They are kept in a very clean coop and have opportunities to dirt bath very often.

Does anyone know anything more about cocci and how it is caused? Maybe it's that as one of you suggested.

I haven't seen him pooping as often because he really isn't eating much, but when he does it looks fine.

I have offered him some of his favorite foods: Pasta, popcorn, a mush made out of pellets and water...and he doesn't seem to want anything. He sort of looks at the food sideways and makes this weird, weak clumsy peck at it but doesn't actually pick up anything.

I'm going to ask around a few chicken farmer friends I know, but any other suggestions would be great.

Note: my chickens get electrolyes regularly mixed in with their water. But he isn't drinking.
I'll try feeding him with an eye dropper and see if that helps.

Thank you everyone for all you have suggested. I really hope my guy stays strong so we can figure out what's wrong with him.