Rooster - possible canker?

[FuzzyDuck]

We just got a rooster from a friend and have him in quarantine from our flock until we’re sure he’s healthy and he can integrate. I noticed that sometimes he’s shaking his head and clicking his beak or moving it as if he’s swallowing. I didn’t think too much of it, but then I noticed a bit of yellow inside his mouth when he crowed. I’ve included a photo, it’s not super clear but it’s the best I can do at the moment. Does it look normal or should I be concerned? Thanks!

 

[azygous]

Were there always pigeons hanging around where he used to live? If they drank from the same water source as the chickens, it is most likely canker. Even without pigeons, canker protozoa can be introduced by other wild birds drinking from puddles that the chickens also drink from.

Metronidazole is one med that will treat this, available online. You may need to take a scraping tool to the plaque inside his mouth in the even he has trouble eating and swallowing due to the throat narrowing from plaque deposits. Scraping will help, even though you can expect some bleeding when you do it. This is necessary to keep him from starving and from dehydrating.

 

[dawg53]

We just got a rooster from a friend and have him in quarantine from our flock until we’re sure he’s healthy and he can integrate. I noticed that sometimes he’s shaking his head and clicking his beak or moving it as if he’s swallowing. I didn’t think too much of it, but then I noticed a bit of yellow inside his mouth when he crowed. I’ve included a photo, it’s not super clear but it’s the best I can do at the moment. Does it look normal or should I be concerned? Thanks!

View attachment 3129944

It would be in your best interest to give the rooster back to your friend. You do NOT want a bird with canker in your flock. Canker is contagious via waterers and will spread to your other birds. Birds with canker are carriers for life.
I commend you for quarantining him.

 

[FuzzyDuck]

I’m not sure he was around pigeons, but certainly around wild birds. I’ll look into the medication! I’m in Canada, so it can be challenging to get things like that, but we’ll see.

@dawg53 thank you. So then even once treated, there wouldn’t be a safe way to integrate him into my flock? Darn… the alternative would likely be culling him, which is what we were hoping to avoid… Is there a danger to treating him and keeping him separately on the property, i.e. not sharing waterers/food?

 

[azygous]

More info. http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker

 

[chicknmania]

I personally think it has to do with flock immunity. We've had birds with canker return to the flock after they were treated and symptoms were gone, and it was never a repeat in another bird. We have a hen with canker now. She is an older bird. We haven't had a case of canker for years...2013. . So that's why I'm on here, refreshing my memory.