rattle in lungs

[chickfan]

I am keeping a little banty rooster in the house. He has been outside since we got him probably March or April last year, and has always held his own with the others. I have no clue how old he is. Lately he has been keeping to himself, with feathers fluffed, and I saw one or two of the others trying to harass him. He would try to fight back..neck feathers standing out, but seemed to lose his balance when he did this. After I brought him in the house, I noticed that he definitely has some weakness in his legs. He has a roost in his cage, but has only been able to get on it maybe twice. He has chicken feed, scratch, and gets treats of fruit, oatmeal with raisins, and most anything I can think of. He goes after the raisins in the oatmeal, with gusto...most every thing else seems to be more fun to flip his beak in and get out on the floor of the cage, rather than to eat.
In the last 3 days, I have noticed a rattle in his chest. It is almost like a purr, but I hear it only either when he breathes in or breathes out...can't tell which. It isn't a constant sound. I'm a retired RN, so if he were human, I would say he has "rales" and probable pneumonia. But he really doesn't seem sick. He seems more like an old person who is just slowing down.
Is there anything at all that I should be doing for him? I don't want to lose him...he has always been a favorite, since he was tamer than most of the others...would come and jump on us when we were sitting on the porch, etc. I don't see anything in his nose, but I can't be sure that the noise isn't coming from his nose, rather than his chest. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Here he is..doing the hokey pokey (j/k). We trimmed his spurs back. They were horrible looking.

 

[chookchick]

With a respiratory infection in chickens there is usually some other sign--does he have any gunk in his eyes or nostrils? Does he sneeze? Does his breath smell bad? I have no idea what would cause just the "rales"...

As for his diet, sounds like he may need some help getting the right stuff. You could mix his crumbles up with water or plain yogurt to make more of a mash--that might be easier and more palatable for him. Make sure he doesn't get his treats (raisins) until he finishes his dinner. You could also feed him scrambled egg to give him a jump start.

I am wondering if he doesn't have some kind of vision problem. I have a hen with a bit of cross-eye, and she can't peck worth a darn, so I hand feed her. She also had problems getting onto a roost, but she seems to have figured that out (she's a smart girl!).

 

[chickfan]

I see no problem with eyes or nose. He has done well all this time we have had him...mingling with the others, sitting on roosts, acting perfectly normal. Just suddenly he started isolating himself from the others, and after a few days of this, we brought him in the house. It was then that I noticed the weakness in the legs. Then the rattles...I somehow think that all these symptoms are related, but I sure don't know for sure. Until recently, he would get on top of cages and up on roosts with the others, having to sort of "fly" to do that. So he appeared to be perfectly normal.
I will try scrambled eggs tomorrow. I hadn't thought about that until reading some posts today. I never can feel much in his crop, and know he doesn't eat a lot, but I do see him eat. I did worm him when I brought him in, just in case he had worms. I've had no indication of that in any of my chickens, though.
Thanks for your reply. I really doubt that anyone would actually know what is going on, but thought I'd ask just in case. I will look closer at his nose and eyes. On my lap earlier, it appeared that one eye was closing a bit more than the other, but it really didn't look abnormal...no cloudiness or swelling at all. And I could see nothing in his nose.

 

[chookchick]

Here are a couple of diseases that might fit his profile--from my reading, both could have respiratory involvement:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis
If MS sounds likely, Tylosin should help.

There are also several nutrient deficiencies that can result in lameness, awkwardness, so it is important to make sure he is getting a high quality diet. keep us posted on his progress.

 

[chickfan]

I really appreciate your reply, but I jumped the gun, and now he is gone. I decided to go with about 1/4 cc pen. Found a site that said that was the minimum dosage for a chicken 1-10 kg. He was less than that, but I really thought it would be OK. He was so skinny...DH gave the shot, and he immediately flapped his wings, stretched his legs, and just died. So even though he most likely was dying anyway, it was my fault. I don't expect to ever quit crying, remembering how he twisted his little head up to look at me when I leaned down to pick him up. He trusted me....
I don't handle this well at all. Not at all.
Between tears, I'm sterilizing his dishes, and DH has sterilized the cage. We have a little banty that is brooding...she leaves her nest and comes out to joint the others for a meal, and seems to stay out a long time. Then she disappears again, and we've never been able to follow her back to wherever she was. Saw her today though...on top of a high metal cabinet in our crowded storage room. Can't leave her there, since babies would fall off. So we will move her in the house....we have a box of hay to put in the cage, so she can sit. I hope we don't kill her too. ( I say that sarcastically) We have done this with a broody hen before though...it is the only way to make sure they are 100% predator proof as they sit. Well....we do have a cage outside, where they are safe, but the weather is a bit chilly to leave them out, right now. We have another one outside, brooding on nothing. I guess we need to get her to move along before nightfall.
Thanks for your help. I had considered Mareks. but didn't think he had the symptoms for that, but we have been in this chicken care less than a year, and still have a lot to learn about a lot of things. I hadn't heard of MS, but some of his symptoms fit...except his poop was normal and there was no swelling. I'd give anything if I had just left him alone until I knew what I was doing. Sometimes I wish I could just put a day in the computer and hit delete, so it just goes away. He obviously was not a happy chicken though, so I'd like to think I did him a favor. Not gonna happen though.

 

[chookchick]

Chickfan, I'm really sorry to hear that!

Please know that your chicken was probably at death's door anyway, so don't beat yourself up too hard. Sounds like you gave him a really good life. There may not have been anything else you could do for him. I know how hard it is when you feel an animal trusts you, and that you did him wrong...But I know he would forgive you completely.

 

[chickfan]

Thank you for your kind words. I really didn't expect him to live, but I didn't want him to die because of something I did, and that is what happened. It sure is hard to take.

 

[3goodeggs]

I am so sorry that this happened to you. You were there for him when he needed you. Be good to yourself. It is still sad, so tears are justified, but please do not beat yourself up. You are a good chicken mom.

 

[RM44]

It is not your fault. You were trying to make the best decision you could with the information you had. You tried to do something and that was the right thing to do. God bless you and don't be so hard on yourself. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[chicknmania]

He had very good care and I'm sure he appreciated it. With chickens, you really can only experiment anyway; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He also could've had avian tb; symptoms are similar, except usually they get whitish diarhea. Could've been one of a million things; he could even have had a cardio pulmonary issue or some sort of systemic infection. a couple of suggestions for future issues though; if you have one die, you can get a necropsy; have a vet refer you, you should be able to get a referral for free. As long as you get the bird there within twenty four hours of death, it can be a great source of information. Peter Brown, at www.firststatevetsupply.com; is an expert who sells supplies and meds and will give you advice. He is very good. In the future, you might want to try a simpler antibiotic to start; you can buy powdered duramycin at feed stores; or the chicken doctor can advise you what is best. Most of us can relate with how you feel; we lost our little banty roo last month; he was crying out in pain and we could not figure out what to do for him; I felt terrible that he suffered; he did not last twenty four hours. We think he had some sort of systemic infection, also.