Rooster Losing Balance

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Cheeto is a 1 1/2 year old bantam mutt rooster. I've been away from my chickens for a little under a week, and when I came back yesterday night, he and the rest of the flock had bulging crops. I'm assuming they haven't been getting enough food for a day or two and filled up their crops yesterday morning. All of them except him and his sister are fine today. His sister has a bit of an impacted crop, but is acting completely normal, and I can easily treat it. Cheeto, however, is walking with his neck hunched in, stumbling, and occasionally falling and sitting on the ground for a bit. I've put him in a separate pen from his flock (three bantam cockerels, a bantam pullet, and three bantam hens) with his sister to keep him company. He got so excited to see his sister that he tried to wing shuffle, but ended up running into the wall a couple of times. I asked the person who was feeding them what kinds of scraps she gave them, and she said some fresh leftover spaghetti salad. Another thing I noticed is that they all have a weird smell on them (not their breath) and assumed it was because of the scraps they've been fed. I also saw some watery green poo.

This is Cheeto. I'll upload a video as soon as I figure out how to put it on YouTube. His comb is drooping a bit and has some dried blood on it since one of my other roosters got out and beat him up a couple weeks ago.

Here's him laying on the ground after stumbling sideways several times.

 

[Amer]

https://thefrugalchicken.com/how-to-treat-sour-crop-in-chickens-read/
I don’t know much about chicken medicine, I’m afraid, but this link seems helpful. Sour crop.

 

[Chickenlickin6]

We had a similar issue with our Silkie rooster sapper. He is 6 months old and it started with him not being hungry,
Walking sideways, sitting down. We knew something was up when he started turning his head looking at us semi-sideways. We took him to the vet and of course they said wry neck. We immediately started vitamin e 400 capsule , poked a hole in squeezed into beak, and Selenium 200mg . I held him in a blanket and fed him with a syringe moist cat food, baby food, water with probiotics. I tried everything and it broke my heart watching him . Butt up and head turned all the way around like a curled up snake. We kept at it he slept in a Tupperware box lined with puppy pads in our bathroom . He was fed round the clock for a month. Today he stands straight up and is as territorial as ever. I hope this isn’t it but sounds very familiar.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

https://thefrugalchicken.com/how-to-treat-sour-crop-in-chickens-read/
I don’t know much about chicken medicine, I’m afraid, but this link seems helpful. Sour crop.

I just felt his crop again. It's empty. I can't tell if his breath smells bad or just him.

We had a similar issue with our Silkie rooster sapper. He is 6 months old and it started with him not being hungry,
Walking sideways, sitting down. We knew something was up when he started turning his head looking at us semi-sideways. We took him to the vet and of course they said wry neck. We immediately started vitamin e 400 capsule , poked a hole in squeezed into beak, and Selenium 200mg . I held him in a blanket and fed him with a syringe moist cat food, baby food, water with probiotics. I tried everything and it broke my heart watching him . Butt up and head turned all the way around like a curled up snake. We kept at it he slept in a Tupperware box lined with puppy pads in our bathroom . He was fed round the clock for a month. Today he stands straight up and is as territorial as ever. I hope this isn’t it but sounds very familiar.

Those symptoms sound really similar. He isn't curving his neck yet. I think I might have vitamin e. Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you start him on some Poultry NutriDrench 1 ml daily, and make sure that he is drinking water? That will give him vitamins and electrolytes. How does his crop feel? Checking the crops first thing in early morning before feeding them is best to see if they are emptying overnight. Some of his symptoms could be from a possible head injury, coccidiosis, dehydration, or even Mareks disease. So hard to know exactly what at this time. I would watch his droppings, and make sure that he can reach his food and water.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Can you start him on some Poultry NutriDrench 1 ml daily, and make sure that he is drinking water? That will give him vitamins and electrolytes. How does his crop feel? Checking the crops first thing in early morning before feeding them is best to see if they are emptying overnight. Some of his symptoms could be from a possible head injury, coccidiosis, dehydration, or even Mareks disease. So hard to know exactly what at this time. I would watch his droppings, and make sure that he can reach his food and water.
View attachment 1907894

Yes, I think I saw some at tractor supply last time I was there. His crop is empty. I have rooster booster that I can give to him right now.
Some information I forgot to add: the newest additions to the flock are the three cockerels and pullet, I got them as chicks in April and they've been with the flock for months.
Will giving him vitamin e and selenium harm him at all if he doesn't have wry neck?

 

[Rose Quartz]

I really have no clue, but what was in the spaghetti salad? That could have lots of things in it, including large chunks? I mean it should be fine, chickens eat rocks. I really don't know sorry I can't help.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

How do I upload a video from youtube?

 

[Rose Quartz]

How do I upload a video from youtube?

Next to the upload a picture button is a film strip click on that and paste the link to the youtube video.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I really have no clue, but what was in the spaghetti salad? That could have lots of things in it, including large chunks? I mean it should be fine, chickens eat rocks. I really don't know sorry I can't help.

It had spaghetti, olives, organic tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil, Annie's garlic Italian dressing, and salt. No chunks.