Red junglefowl cockerel of unknown age lethargic, somethimes unable to walk, rests often

[Enderchicken222]

Earlier today I noticed a young cockerel lying in a strange way by Lydgate beach park. I approached the, and although it saw me coming it didn’t move out of the way until I was about a yard away, it then stumbled away and fell down about a foot further. Later, I caught it as it dozed and wrapped it in an old shirt to keep it comfortable on the drive. I believe it’s wild, yet it seems to weak to freak out when it is approached, granted that you are calm and quiet, even to the point of touching, at least now that I have it engaged. The cage is about 2.5*2.5.*2.5 feet, and it has a stick a few inches off of the ground for it to perch on. I’ve seen it perch, and it seems to have fine balance.

 

[azygous]

Do you have chickens of your own? My first thought was Marek's, and it's extremely contagious, so disinfect your shoes, clothing and hands before tending to any chickens of your own.

Another possibility is the cockerel has a crop disorder preventing him from eating, so he's weak from starvation. Feel his keel bone below his crop. If it's razor sharp, he's likely starving.

Next, verify his crop isn't impacted. Check in the evening so you have a baseline, and then check it in the morning. Normal functioning crops empty completely overnight. If the crop is full and hard in the morning, you can treat it with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil or mineral oil given orally into his beak. Massage the oil into the hard mass in the crop, and you should be able to feel the contents begin to break up.

You may need to repeat the oil and massage to get the crop to empty. Then offer him a soft boiled egg or yogurt to get him started eating.

You won't know if he has Marek's unless he dies and you find a lab to do a necropsy on him. But if you have chickens, be sure you don't expose them to this chicken.

 

[Enderchicken222]

Do you have chickens of your own? My first thought was Marek's, and it's extremely contagious, so disinfect your shoes, clothing and hands before tending to any chickens of your own.

Another possibility is the cockerel has a crop disorder preventing him from eating, so he's weak from starvation. Feel his keel bone below his crop. If it's razor sharp, he's likely starving.

Next, verify his crop isn't impacted. Check in the evening so you have a baseline, and then check it in the morning. Normal functioning crops empty completely overnight. If the crop is full and hard in the morning, you can treat it with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil or mineral oil given orally into his beak. Massage the oil into the hard mass in the crop, and you should be able to feel the contents begin to break up.

You may need to repeat the oil and massage to get the crop to empty. Then offer him a soft boiled egg or yogurt to get him started eating.

You won't know if he has Marek's unless he dies and you find a lab to do a necropsy on him. But if you have chickens, be sure you don't expose them to this chicken.

Thank you very much. Luckily I don’t have any chickens of my own, so infecting my flock won’t be an issue. I’m going to check his keel bone now. Also, he’s not eating very much, so checking his crop to make sure it’s emptying may be an issue. I don’t think he recognizes the feed as “food” but I put a cockroach in it and he ate a little of the food on accident, so I think he’ll figure it out.

 

[MinniesMomma]

Keep us posted on how the little guy is doing, please!

 

[Enderchicken222]

Ok, the keel bone feels defined, but I got him some papaya and he’s eaten a lot of it. Checked his crop for a benchmark. Thanks for all of the help,

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Have you noticed if his crop is full, hard, soft, squishy?
The eye in the photo is a bit sunken in - could be from dehydration, but monitor your chick for any respiratory symptoms.
From what I understand these birds are wild/feral(?) so he may have eaten something he shouldn't have, he had trouble finding food/water or it's very possible from the symptoms you describe he has an illness.
Can you take a photo of his poop?


@ChickNanny13 ? Do you have the wild junglefowl where you are located? Anybody reported any illnesses?

 

[Enderchicken222]

Have you noticed if his crop is full, hard, soft, squishy?
The eye in the photo is a bit sunken in - could be from dehydration, but monitor your chick for any respiratory symptoms.
From what I understand these birds are wild/feral(?) so he may have eaten something he shouldn't have, he had trouble finding food/water or it's very possible from the symptoms you describe he has an illness.
Can you take a photo of his poop?


@ChickNanny13 ? Do you have the wild junglefowl where you are located? Anybody reported any illnesses?

He knows about the water, I’ll try to make sure he drinks some. His crop felt normal to me though.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is he able to stand today?

 

[Enderchicken222]

Is he able to stand today?

Not sure. I’m up early because I heard him peeping and sounding scared, ran out to wehere he was shined a flashlight and one the kittens ran away. The cage is too strong and heavy for them to damage, but they scared him. He quieted down after they left, and I stayed up. It’s 5:35 local time and I woke up at 5AM

 

[Enderchicken222]

Alright, he can stand, but with difficulty. His crop feels a little full, but soft. He was eating papaya that’s over ripe however. He seems happier today, and I think he drank some of the water.