- May 17, 2014
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This has been going on for about 6 weeks now and I've tried everything I can think of, so I need your help! Copper aka Wobbles is a banty rooster, age unknown, who is a rescue that the neighbor girl brought to me with a bunch of others to add to my rescue flock. I've had him about six months. He was very thin and bullied to start but with a little extra help did just fine up until six weeks ago. The night before he was perfectly fine and the next day he was dragging his wing and stumbling in circles. When he could get his balance the others would knock him onto his back and he wasn't able to get up. He's in the house now.
He has no leg or feet injuries, he's been wormed and treated regularly for mites. He had a bit of a runny nose awhile ago but was treated with Tylan 50. He's had Penicillin and ear drops in case he had an inner ear infection but that hasn't helped him any- he will occasionally shake his head. He ate just fine until I brought him into the house and now he is very picky and will only eat very little on his own. He was losing weight so I started hand feeding and tube feeding him to keep his weight up. Otherwise his eyes are bright, he's alert and looks around, drinks well, he crows and preens himself as best he can. He can bear weight on his legs but he cannot balance himself. In a sling he will walk with assistance. It does seem like his mobility has gone downhill since it intially happened. He would drag his right wing, lean to the right and keep his head swiveled to the left as if looking over his shoulder. He cannot walk at all on his own now without assistance but he is not keeping his head turned as much anymore.
This morning I noticed his preen gland was red and sore (he tried to squirm away from me when I touched it) and there was a blood tinged discharged when I pressed on the area so I started him on Penicillin again and plan on doing a warm compress after I get off of work. He generally seems perfectly okay except for having no mobility. I sit him up and he will stay and then suddenly fall forward and stretch his legs behind him or just fall backwards. He appears very drunk or as if he's had a stroke or a brain injury.
I've read up on Mareks, it's a possibility but none of my other chickens have displayed any symptoms in the six weeks since he's been like this. I do have a broiler rooster who is enormous and is known to knock other chickens off the roosts (sometimes inadvertently due to his size), could it possibly be from hitting his head? What are your thoughts? I hate to put him down when he is still so alert and content.
He has no leg or feet injuries, he's been wormed and treated regularly for mites. He had a bit of a runny nose awhile ago but was treated with Tylan 50. He's had Penicillin and ear drops in case he had an inner ear infection but that hasn't helped him any- he will occasionally shake his head. He ate just fine until I brought him into the house and now he is very picky and will only eat very little on his own. He was losing weight so I started hand feeding and tube feeding him to keep his weight up. Otherwise his eyes are bright, he's alert and looks around, drinks well, he crows and preens himself as best he can. He can bear weight on his legs but he cannot balance himself. In a sling he will walk with assistance. It does seem like his mobility has gone downhill since it intially happened. He would drag his right wing, lean to the right and keep his head swiveled to the left as if looking over his shoulder. He cannot walk at all on his own now without assistance but he is not keeping his head turned as much anymore.
This morning I noticed his preen gland was red and sore (he tried to squirm away from me when I touched it) and there was a blood tinged discharged when I pressed on the area so I started him on Penicillin again and plan on doing a warm compress after I get off of work. He generally seems perfectly okay except for having no mobility. I sit him up and he will stay and then suddenly fall forward and stretch his legs behind him or just fall backwards. He appears very drunk or as if he's had a stroke or a brain injury.
I've read up on Mareks, it's a possibility but none of my other chickens have displayed any symptoms in the six weeks since he's been like this. I do have a broiler rooster who is enormous and is known to knock other chickens off the roosts (sometimes inadvertently due to his size), could it possibly be from hitting his head? What are your thoughts? I hate to put him down when he is still so alert and content.
