rooster balance is really bad falling over

[suevit1031]

I just went to bid good night to my chickens and my rooster looks like he's walking a tight rope, swaying and falling forward or backward.
We have had a ton of rain and some of the yard doesn't drain well, I don't know what to do for him!!! Please advise ASAP!
Sue

 

[suevit1031]

I just put him in an old bunny hutch with fresh shaving, food and water. He fell face first into the water but righted himself...this is not good.

This is what I can tell you about him and his surroundings. The coup was new last fall, big window, roof vent, high vent for air circulation, tucked in the trees with early morning sun and shade most of the day. The run is 50' x 100' chain link with farm commercial heavy deer net over the top for protection. We have had a huge amount of rain which left 1/3 of the pen under water. I was able to divert most of it but water will still pool in an area for a few days till it dries out.

Could he have some kind of bacteria in his brain from the 'pond' in their run? Could he have lyme? The mosquitoes are horrible! He's not skinny, his comb is bright red, eyes are clear, no sneezing or coughing, don't know about his poop and he was making a racket a few minutes ago when a hawk came and sat on top of the yard roof support.

Back in early spring I gave them all DE dust bath because of small brown mites from the wild birds. I stripped the coup, bleached rinsed sprayed 7, dusted put down all new bedding, bleached all feeders put sand with DE in a feed pan in the coup for them to dust.

The squirrels are in and out of their yard stealing sunflower seeds and scratch do they bring any diseases to the table? I also give them fresh veggie scraps daily and occasionally dried meal worms.

About a week ago they got out and roamed the yard for the day and just hung out in the ferns and scratched around in the dead leaves.

Lastly he has always walked funny like he does bend his joints correctly, an exaggerated strut that makes you laugh, but he's been like that for as long as I can remember, he was 1 in May.

My granddaughters named this chicken after their Dad, Andy, and this rooster is just a sweetheart.My granddaughters are going to be so sad....

 

[purpletree23]

I'm not sure what is going on but I know you did the right thing by separating him. It sounds like it could be something to do with the rain and humidity we have been having. Chickens have a way of finding a veggie scrap leftover from 2 weeks ago and it might be rotten or moldy but they will eat it anyway. He may have just eaten something that isn't agreeing with him. I know here in New Hampshire sometimes a bear will come across a lot of apples off a tree in the fall and eat them but they've started to ferment and the bear gets drunk. Poor thing can only stagger away and sleep it off.

Keep an eye on him and hopefully he will be back to normal in the morning. My chickens have scared the daylights out of me. At night they look like they won't make it til morning and the next morning they will be just fine.

My thoughts are with you.

 

[suevit1031]

Thanks for the reply, here in CT we've have 90+ temps that feels like 110-115 with the humidity, today was only in the 80's and cloudy so I don't think it was from the heat.

Andy's story (briefly)
Poor Andy.....after a bad delivery from the Post Office I lost 10 chicks, they were replace but I had to accept 8 rooster chicks to get the shipment. This one little yellow chick would be the first to come and see me, he was so sweet I was sure he was a hen so we kept him with the girls and butchered the rest of the roosters (NEVER AGAIN FOR ME I was so sad). My granddaughter knew 'the boys' were going and she called and said, "Gramma you're not going to kill Andy are you?" I assured her I wouldn't and she asked me to promise, anyway, Andy wakes us up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m., we might want to kill him but I promised...this however is out of my hands.

Hoping for a good tomorrow.
S.

 

[suevit1031]

Update on Andy:

I was happy to hear Andy crowing yesterday morning, I was expecting a dead chicken when I checked on him in the bunny hutch so hearing that crowing was a nice way to greet the morning. He was still wobbly but not nearly as bad so I put him in the run with his ladies and went on about my day. I throw scratch and sunflower seeds in the run in the afternoon and noticed that he was trying to pick them up but his balance was still poor and he wasn't able to gather any seeds so I put him back in the hutch with his food and water at a high level on the wire sides so he didn't have to bend over. He started eating right away.

I also found a post with a video of a hen doing the same 'dance' as Andy and read on that for quite a while (500+ posts!) it seemed to show Vit B helped some young ones but then I came across someone that had taken the chicken to the vet and it had an ear infection! Go figure.

Then it dawned on me to call a wild bird rehabilitator friend of mine and she thought it could be something bacterial.

This morning I heard him crowing loud and strong and put him in the run with the girls and he was better and actually took off running, somewhat awkwardly but running none the less, after one of the ladies to, ahem, take care of his husbandly duties. Guess he's feeling better. Me too.