Resolved!--Rooster gets air in crop when eating/drinking, coughed up clear mucus

Hi, I'm a long time reader, first time poster to the forum. I've searched through to forum and find bits and pieces that resemble the symptoms of this little guy, but haven't come to a conclusion of what may be his problem. Here's what I can tell you...

He's an 8 year old rooster who has been very healthy up to this point. He has lost some weight, I'd say he's about 4-5 pounds now.
He has an appetite and drinks often, but when he does, his crop fills with air. He gurgles and burps until it empties enough for him to feel bettter. It almost looks as if he has the hiccups as he's trying to get the air out. In addition, today I saw foamy stuff in his mouth, thinking it was spit, but it was clear mucus. He then coughed up a string of thick clear mucus that was about 6 inches long. Sometimes he also stretches his neck upward as if he is trying to take a deep breath. He is pooping. He's been inside for 3 days now. Day one, his poop was normal- firm and fiber-filled with the white cap. Now it's more of a runny brown that is expelled with lots of gas. I;m not sure that this has anything to do with this problem, but for the past year he's had issues with his legs, which I attributed to old age/arthrits. In cold weather (like we have in Indiana) he has some trouble walking. He kicks his legs behind him before taking a step. This seems to go away with warm weather. His balance has improved since I brought him in the house into his crate. He's been shaking his head for several days, but I just noticed the air bubble in the crop and the mucus in the past 3 days. No other birds are affected by this.

I've been giving him various things to eat. He will nibble on chicken feed, oats, corn, and boiled eggs. He loves Cat Chow, but I try to give him small amounts of that. I've had to feel his crop often to help "burp" him of the excess air. The food is leaving the crop, as I can't feel it as I'm pushing the air out.

So far I've given him Safeguard paste wormer, as I first thought he may have some type of parasite, such as gapeworm. I've given him water with ACV and probiotics in it. I gave him one does of Terramycin today since I saw the mucus come up, thinking it could be a possible respratory infection. My local vet doesn't know about birds, but hopefully would be willing to help me out if I'm in need of medication, although I typically try to use things I can find at a farm supply store.

My flock is mixed with guineas, turkeys, and chickens living in a barn together. I use straw for bedding, which I change on a monthy basis, or whenever it looks due for a cleaning.

I appreciate any help you can provide.

 

Thanks for the replies. He's standing in his cage looking at me right now. I'm thinking sour crop at this point too. He ate some oats last night and they have not passed through. I read an article about yeast infections in the crop and he has several of those symptoms, including gas in the crop, which I think is making him feel uncomfortable.

He ran out of his cage this morning and jumped in my lap. He put his head over my shoulder and when I gave him a hug, he burped really loud. I guess he knows how to solve his problems! HA!

 

As of now, he appears to be improving. There isn't as much air/gas in his crop, and he seems more alert than before. He's been standing up watching his kitty friends today.

I'm leaning toward a fungal issue with the crop, as there has been a great deal of gas buildup at both ends, if you know what I mean! There are also a lot of other symptoms I've been reading about that point toward a fungal infection. I have some ketoconazole that one of my cats had from the vet. I'm giving him that for the weekend and will see if my vet has other recommendations when I take a cat in on Monday.

Hopefully Mr.Myrtle will continue to improve!

 

I'm a chicken momma...well chicken, guinea, duck, turkey---give me a bird and I'll be its momma! Mr. Myrtle is worried about his appearance tonight. He's been preening his feathers all evening! Hope that's a good sign from my baby!

 

This morning, my little guy vomited this huge puddle of clear mucus. He seemed to feel better after that. This is the second time that has come up. He wanted to eat this morning, so I gave him some of his chicken feed, which is ground fine at the feed mill, so he digests that pretty easily. He doesn't want to drink very much, but I've used a syringe and dribble quite a bit of epsom salt solution in him. I can still feel a few oats in his crop, but I saw a few oat hulls in his poo this morning. He only had watery white poo yesterday, but this morning he's going back to his thin, brown gassy poos. Oh, the details we share!

He got out for a little exercise today and decided to attack some of my chicken figurines. He didn't know what to think when I put a giant metal chicken in front of him. He just stood there and stared at it.

 

I believe Mr. Myrtle is returning to his old self! He's drinking on his own, eating well, and all his droppings are returning to normal. His gas issues have decreased making him look so much happier than before!