Rooster laying on his side, head on the ground, crop empty. Help!!!

[Granolamom]

I'm posting this for a friend of mine who just called me. Her roo (about 7 months old) was found an hour ago, laying on his side, unable to get up, with his head wobbly and on the ground. He has trouble breathing (beak is open, and he's gasping), and his crop is completely empty. He was in the run with the other chickens all day. What could be wrong, and what should she do? Please help, she's waiting for me to call her back!

 

[easttxchick]

First thing she needs to do is bring him in where it's warm.

Any marks, wounds, etc.? So he was OK all day today and she found him like this tonight?

 

[Granolamom]

Her chickens were let out to free-range in the (fenced) backyard today at noon, and he seemed perfectly normal then. When she got home this evening, he was on the ground. No wounds, no previous signs of illness. I asked her if he can walk, but she said he's just laying down, and his head jerks around every few minutes. They gave him some water, which he swallowed. His eyes are closed. My husband thinks this looks like poisening of some kind. She's got him in the house, and separated from the flock.

 

[hen-thusiast]

Check out this link and scroll down to botulism. Does that sound like his symptoms?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwhjQ6Yng877iz_JNiCN1IQ

If you do think it is poisoning, I believe a molasses flush is what is recommended.
Here's an excerpt from Farmer Kitty's page: (https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4031-Misc_Info)

Molasses Flush for chicken that has been poisened.-From Miss Prissy

Molasses flush is 1 pint molasses per 5 gallons water given over a period of 8 hours withhold all other food or water.
The break down is -
(1 PINT = 2 CUPS)
2 cups to 5 gallons water
1 cup to 2.5 gallons of water
1/2 cup to 1.25 gallons of water
1/4 cup to 2 quarts water
4 tablespoons to 1 quart water
The molasses acts as a laxative by pulling water into the intestines and flushing it out.
I would mix it by the quart.​

 

[Granolamom]

I was thinking possibly Marek's disease, but she said his eyes look normal, not cloudy. I told her to do a molasses or epsom salt flush, in case it;s really poisoning. The only trouble with the flush is that you're supposed to withdraw food and water for a while, and in his conditions I'm afraid that could kill him...
Any thoughts on that?

 

[granola friend]

weel it's my rooster
i gave him the epsom salt will see how he reacts

thanks a lot for the posts and Ellen thanks a lot
i will let you know

 

[hen-thusiast]

Sorry, can't help you with that.

Hopefully someone else jumps in here.

He is the right age for Marek's. Does he have some of the other symptoms? Enlarged, red feather follicles or white bumps on the skin that form a brown, crusty scab? Do his legs point in different directions?

 

[easttxchick]

I sure hope he responds to the flush and gets better!

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
I hope he gets better. Personally I would have tried the flush too. Keep us updated!

 

[Granolamom]

Kat, since you're on here now, is there any chance he could have gotten into some moldy feed that was perhaps spilled on the ground?