Rooster standing/walking like a penguin - What's wrong?

[foxflower]

Hi. My buckeye rooster is standing and walking like a penguin/runner duck. Today is the first time I've seen this. He was able to stand in a normal posture for a minute after I picked him up and checked him out, but reverted to that. He was able to jump out of a plastic box I put him in. Here my responses to the illness checklist....

1) What type of bird , age and weight. Buckeye rooster, hatched May 23, 2010, skinny, actual weight unknown.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Standing and walking like a penguin/runner duck, vulture stance
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 1 day
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. None
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Don't know
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Lay pellets, rye, kelp meal, oyster shell, probably snow, will drink water. Appetite appears normal.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Poop is a yellow-green color, not runny, but not very firm.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Isolation with food (pellets) and water.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I just want to know if recovery is likely with medication I can administer myself, or if I need to cull and incinerate.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. Pics posted below.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use. Housed in outdoor brooder on grass hay, but is free range, and also has access to perch, but he prefers the brooker hutch.

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

foxflower - I don't have any advice to give you, but I do hope you find out what is wrong with him. He looks so uncomfortable, poor guy! The only thing I can offer you is this link, that gives general advice on caring for a sick or injured chicken. I hope someone comes along soon that can give you some idea of what might be wrong and some advice on how to get him well. Good luck to you and your rooster!
http://www.brittonclouse.com/chickenrunrescue/CARING FOR A SICK OR INJ 9_08.pdf

 

[welasharon]

I have no idea on earth...here is a bump up for you maybe someone will know. I guess you have checked him over for anything odd looking on his body?
sharon

 

[foxflower]

Thank you for the encouragement. There is nothing odd about his body other than he feels skinny. I forgot to say earlier that there is no sign of any respiratory disease that I can see. Eyes and nose are clear. Heart beat was strong when I picked him up! Craw was not full nor felt impacted.

 

[chkn]

When is the last time you wormed him and when is the last time you've treated him for mites and so forth?

 

[spish]

could he have injured his spine or hips? (jumping off something high, been trod on by dog/cow/sheep/person?)

 

[sourland]

This may be way off the mark, but something deep in the recesses of my brain is saying that "hardware" disease can cause these symptoms. Does anyone know if this is so or not?

 

[spish]

Quote:
is that when they eat something metal? i believe it causes bright green poop and death follows unless you get the objects out?

 

[spish]

can only find this on hardware disease, seems to affect cattle and ducks more thank chickens?

"Hardware Disease


Ducks and geese are attracted to shiny things like pennies, screws, nails, staples, coins of any type and other metal objects. They will swallow them. This is extremely dangerous and most often fatal. As it is digested, the metal (and coating on various metals) poisons the bird, harming the kidneys and liver. It can take days and even weeks for any symptoms to become apparent, at which point it is often too late. Early symptoms of hardware disease include a bird that keeps to itself, away from others and eats less. Fecal matter can be fluorescent green (though this can also be a sign of other infection). Eventually the bird cannot walk, or walks and falls down. If these symptoms occur, the bird must go to a vet immediately. It must have an x-ray to see if any foreign objects have been eaten. There is medication that is given to try to get rid of the poisons in the bird, but most often they need to have surgery to remove the objects. If you even suspect your pet has swallowed metal, an immediate x-ray may be your only chance for saving him or her."

 

[Karrie13]

I had a FBCM hen start doing that, she was the only one in the flock with the problem. She walked and stood just like your roo.

As a chick she was normal had normal legs and developed normally until she was about 6 months old. That is when I noticed she was walking a little "cow hocked" but I didn't think anything of it, she was just going to be used as a layer and not a breeder at that point. Then one day she just started walking upright like a penguin and had a hard time getting on and off of the higher roosts, and in and out the door. Nobody picked on her or anything but I felt bad for her because she had such a hard time doing anything. I ended up putting her down, afterward I really examined her legs and just below the hock there was a hard mass on both legs and her hock seemed almost frozen into position. She was still able to move it some but her range of motion was severely compromised. I bet if I left her to live it would have gotten to the point of her not being able to bend her legs at all. She also never laid an egg. I am thinking the mass is what made her walk that way. I couldn't find anything else wrong with her internally or externally. She got the same feed and supplements as all my other chickens, she just had this odd deformity. She was 11 months old when I put her down.

I just wanted to share my story with you and what I found out, as far as treating I have no idea. Good luck to you.