Rooster making strange sounds and shaking head, doesn't sound right.

[ivyrash]

I have a 5 month old, Swedish Flower rooster that is making a strange weezy squaking sound. It is not a constant sound but I do hear him making these noises several times a day. I have also noticed he seems to lift his head up and shake it as he is making the sound. He eats and drinks fine as far as I can tell. He crows fine, pecks and scratches and all the other things that he should be doing but I have never heard any of my other chickens make a sound like that.

At this point I have not done anything with him other than observe to see that he is eating and drinking etc.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Haunted55]

I just went through something like this with a 6 week old female barred rock. She wasn't showing any symptoms of respiratory distress, no wheezing, coughing or sneezing. Just stretched her neck out now and then and made a noise like a baby crow.

I was going to treat for cocci anyways so gave Corid and Duramycin-10, 400mg. I stopped the Duramycin the same time I stopped the Corid, 7 days, and she is no longer making the sound. Sometimes the symptoms arent the same as the text book. Similar but enough different to make you wonder.
When you pick him up do you notice any smell near his head, beak? Any discharge from eyes or nostril? Any swelling you can see near the eyes or the ears? Below is a possibility, I have no idea if this is even something to think about, to be honest, but I will give you the info in case you notice something else that matches. What I think, is he may have some kind of sinus infection that is causing pressure on his ears and the noise is amplified because of fluid build up. I would start him on an antibiotic regardless, just because sometimes with poultry it's better to be proactive rather than sit back and wait for more symptoms. If he has been with the rest of the flock, I would treat them all, again, just in case.

Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Synonyms: LT, ILT, trach, laryngo
Species affected: Chickens and pheasants are affected by LT. Chickens 14 weeks and older are more susceptible
than young chickens. Most LT outbreaks occur in mature hens. In recent years, LT
has also caused significant respiratory problems in broilers greater than 3 weeks of age,
especially during the cooler seasons of the year. This is believed to be due to unwanted
spread of LT vaccines between poultry flocks.
Clinical signs: The clinical sign usually first noticed is watery eyes. Affected birds remain quiet because
breathing is difficult. Coughing, sneezing, and shaking of the head to dislodge exudate
plugs in the windpipe follow. Birds extend their head and neck to facilitate breathing
(commonly referred to as “pump handle respiration”). Inhalation produces a wheezing
and gurgling sound. Blood-tinged exudates and serum clots are expelled from the trachea
of affected birds. Many birds die from asphyxiation due to a blockage of the trachea when
the tracheal plug is freed (see Table 1).
Transmission: LT is spread by the respiratory route. LT is also spread from flock to flock by contaminated
clothing, shoes, tires, etc. Birds that recover should be considered carriers for life.
LT may be harbored in speciality poultry such as exhibition birds and game fowl.
Treatment: Incinerate dead birds, administer antibiotics to control secondary infection, and vaccinate
the flock. Mass vaccination by spray or drinking water method is not recommended for
large commercial or caged flocks. Individual bird administration by the eye-drop route
is suggested. Follow manufacturers instructions. In small poultry flocks, use a swab to
remove plug from gasping birds, and vaccinate by eye-drop method.
Prevention: Vaccinate replacement birds for outbreak farms. Vaccination for LT is not as successful
as for other disease, but is an excellent preventive measure for use in outbreaks and in
epidemic areas. Refer to the publication PS-36 (Vaccination of Small Poultry Flocks) for​

more information on LT vaccinations.

 

[ivyrash]

Thanks for the info. What kind of antibiotic do you use for this? It probably wouldn't hurt to treat them anyway, if nothing else it will narrow down what it could be.

 

[Eggcessive]

You might want to go to www.thepoultrysite.com and research common poultry diseases. Is he crowing yet? Could he have gapeworm. It helps to know what you are dealing with before you medicate.

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks for the info. What kind of antibiotic do you use for this? It probably wouldn't hurt to treat them anyway, if nothing else it will narrow down what it could be.

The first thing I always grab is Duramycin-10. I do have Tylan 50 and 200 but have never had to use them so far. If you do try this, give the 400mg dose of 1/2 tbls per gallon for 7-14 days. Even is they seem better, it's always a good idea to continue at least 3 days beyond when they are 'cured'.

Another thing, I am shooting from the hip here as I don't have a lot of symptoms to work with. I know it's late tonight but if you could update tomorrow, we may be able to narrow it down a bit more. If you have any poultry vitamins, I would add them to the water tonight.

 

[ivyrash]

You might want to go to www.thepoultrysite.com and research common poultry diseases. Is he crowing yet? Could he have gapeworm. It helps to know what you are dealing with before you medicate.

What I was reading about gapeworm said it was very rare in poultry so I was trying come up with other possibilities first.

 

[ivyrash]

The first thing I always grab is Duramycin-10. I do have Tylan 50 and 200 but have never had to use them so far. If you do try this, give the 400mg dose of 1/2 tbls per gallon for 7-14 days. Even is they seem better, it's always a good idea to continue at least 3 days beyond when they are 'cured'.

Another thing, I am shooting from the hip here as I don't have a lot of symptoms to work with. I know it's late tonight but if you could update tomorrow, we may be able to narrow it down a bit more. If you have any poultry vitamins, I would add them to the water tonight.

My chickens are already roosting so no point in putting anything in their water tonight. I will see what I have in the morning. As far as other symptoms I really haven't noticed any, I was messing with him today, held him, was up close and personal, looked him over just in general and didn't see anything else of note. I will look eyes and everything over again in the morning but this has been going on a few weeks. I wondered at first if it was just some weird new part of learning to crow but it hasn't changed or gone away so I am guessing it is something that needs to be addressed at this point. I will try to maybe get video or something of it tomorrow but I'm not sure how to post it here.

 

[Haunted55]

My chickens are already roosting so no point in putting anything in their water tonight. I will see what I have in the morning. As far as other symptoms I really haven't noticed any, I was messing with him today, held him, was up close and personal, looked him over just in general and didn't see anything else of note. I will look eyes and everything over again in the morning but this has been going on a few weeks. I wondered at first if it was just some weird new part of learning to crow but it hasn't changed or gone away so I am guessing it is something that needs to be addressed at this point. I will try to maybe get video or something of it tomorrow but I'm not sure how to post it here.

To post something like that, I think I read you have to have it on you tube and post the link for it. Not sure. How has your weather been? Humid? Is it possible that you could have a mold or something growing near or in the coop or litter? How 'bout the feed...any lumps or funny smell when you dish it out? Thinking about it, I had something close last year with my roo. He actually lost his voice for a few weeks and his crow was pathetic. Not sure it's the same, but the pine pollen was at it's peak, the weather was humid and rainy. I switched out the pine shavings for sand and when doing so completely cleaned their coop with bleach and water, put the sand on the floor and made a poop tray under their roost filled with Sweet PDZ. It could have been allergies to the excessive amount of the pollen, mold in the coop...after doing this he 'healed' in a few days time and hasn't had an episode since. I did give a 7 days course of antibiotics as well, because I didn't know what I was dealing with at the time. Needless to say...Percy is still with me and just as ornery as ever! That rooster is rotten to the core, but he's good with the girls and it saves his life everytime he chalenges me.

 

[ivyrash]

Ok, all I found were some chicken probiotics in my cabinet. What kind of vitamins should I look for? I don't live near a large town so I may have to do some improvising for now. There is a very small walmart and feed store near here but they don't usually carry much other than the basics. The reason I just told you all that is that I'm thinking I may have to look through the people stuff and try to find something that will work and then maybe order the chicken stuff to have on hand.

 

[Eggcessive]

Gapeworm is somewhat rare, but it comes from eating infected earthworms, and can cause trouble breathing and loss of weight, eventually choking to death. You can swab the back of his throat with a Qtip, and if red worms are seen, that is probably what he has. Flubendazole is the treatment. If he is feeling fine, eating and drinking, I would just watch him because I don't think it is wise to give drugs to chickens unless you know the exact cause, or it is an emergency. I have observed a few chickens over the years "gaping" a few times, then they never did that again.