Rooster with Dark Red Comb, mouthbreathing

[SnowWhite3]

Hey there! I have a 1 year old BCM Roo that has been slowly developing some breathing issues. I noted about a week ago, that his breathing was a little loud, but he was acting normally, no gaping or anything and his comb was red and he was crowing and acting normally.

He’s still acting normally overall, crowing and doing his thing with the ladies, but his comb is now a dark red and he’s just today starting stretching his neck and gaping to breathe. I’ve got LA-200 on hand, should I just go straight to that or deworm with fenbendazole first? That works on gapwworms right? None of the rest of my chickens are showing any signs or symptoms of any type of illness… And it’s been a week or so, so I really think that rules out respiratory infection, which is why I’m leaning against LA-200. What do you guys think?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Can you get video of his actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

Any lesions inside the beak, crop emptying?
Where are you located in the world?

If you feel that it's not respiratory disease and instead gapeworm, then treating for those would be the thing to do.

 

[SnowWhite3]

Welcome To BYC

Can you get video of his actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

Any lesions inside the beak, crop emptying?
Where are you located in the world?

If you feel that it's not respiratory disease and instead gapeworm, then treating for those would be the thing to do.

So, I actually discovered that it was sour crop, when I was able to get my hands on him and really inspect him closely, he had a super foul odor emanating from his mouth. Upon massaging his crop, air was released from his mouth. I’ve never dealt with sour crop, and was unaware that the crop could swell and put pressure on the windpipe, causing some oxygen issues. Poor guy is not doing well. I’ve scoured the forums and internet, as a last ditch effort, I’m using some Monistat to try and save him. I know it’s controversial, but he’s doing really poorly, it’s a last resort.

Also, a couple days before I discovered it was sour crop, I did deworm him, on the off chance it was gapeworm and there was no improvement.

I’m located in Georgia, USA.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any lesions inside the beak, crop emptying?

Did you note any lesions inside his beak?

I've used Miconazole and/or Clotrimazole several times over the years to treat Sour Crop, if he's a big guy, then I'd give him a bit more than I would a hen. Do give the cream 2 times a day for a full 7 days even if he seems better, finish that course of treatment. I would not massage the crop though. I give coconut oil along with the cream too, so that's something you may want to consider giving.
Is he pooping?

I think deworming was o.k. A lot of times crop issues seem to be a symptom of an underlying condition like worms, coccidiosis, infection, etc.
Did you administer the Fenbendazole orally once a day for 5 days at a rate of 0.23ml per pound of weight or?

Pictures of the Big Guy and his poop are always welcome. I'm sorry to hear he's doing poorly, hoping that he improves.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[SnowWhite3]

Did you note any lesions inside his beak?

I've used Miconazole and/or Clotrimazole several times over the years to treat Sour Crop, if he's a big guy, then I'd give him a bit more than I would a hen. Do give the cream 2 times a day for a full 7 days even if he seems better, finish that course of treatment. I would not massage the crop though. I give coconut oil along with the cream too, so that's something you may want to consider giving.
Is he pooping?

I think deworming was o.k. A lot of times crop issues seem to be a symptom of an underlying condition like worms, coccidiosis, infection, etc.
Did you administer the Fenbendazole orally once a day for 5 days at a rate of 0.23ml per pound of weight or?

Pictures of the Big Guy and his poop are always welcome. I'm sorry to hear he's doing poorly, hoping that he improves.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thanks for the response. I gave him Fenbendazole orally, but the directions I read for the cream I purchased (Panacur) said a pea-sized amount in two doses 3 weeks apart. It was the only one in stock at my local TSC. I had him isolated all day yesterday, I didn’t see any large poos. He hasn’t eaten much in several days though I did see him drinking yesterday. I gave him a dose of the Miconazole yesterday evening and this morning, using 1/3 of a suppository as I had read to do on this forum. I saw white yeasty looking material when I looked down his throat, the yeast buildup seems to be impeding his airway. I tried to remove some with a cotton swab, but was mostly unsuccessful. I did also give him coconut oil yesterday, though I did not today, I will.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for the response. I gave him Fenbendazole orally, but the directions I read for the cream I purchased (Panacur) said a pea-sized amount in two doses 3 weeks apart. It was the only one in stock at my local TSC. I had him isolated all day yesterday, I didn’t see any large poos. He hasn’t eaten much in several days though I did see him drinking yesterday. I gave him a dose of the Miconazole yesterday evening and this morning, using 1/3 of a suppository as I had read to do on this forum. I saw white yeasty looking material when I looked down his throat, the yeast buildup seems to be impeding his airway. I tried to remove some with a cotton swab, but was mostly unsuccessful. I did also give him coconut oil yesterday, though I did not today, I will.

I'd be interested to see those directions, where did you find them (link)?

Panacur 10% paste dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once daily for 5 days in a row. So if you only gave him a pea size dose and you are trying to treat for worms, then I'd just go ahead and treat with the correct dose.

Seeing white yeasty material inside the beak or throat along with a bad odor is concerning.
Any way you can get photos of that. Is the odor more yeasty or rotten? I still wonder if he has Canker.

Continue with the sour crop treatment though. See if that helps. Do what you can to keep him drinking, he needs to stay hydrated.

 

[SnowWhite3]

I'd be interested to see those directions, where did you find them (link)?

Panacur 10% paste dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once daily for 5 days in a row. So if you only gave him a pea size dose and you are trying to treat for worms, then I'd just go ahead and treat with the correct dose.

Seeing white yeasty material inside the beak or throat along with a bad odor is concerning.
Any way you can get photos of that. Is the odor more yeasty or rotten? I still wonder if he has Canker.

Continue with the sour crop treatment though. See if that helps. Do what you can to keep him drinking, he needs to stay hydrated.

Hey there, this is the link. Seemed like a reputable source to me.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/gapeworms
I can barely see down his throat with my husband helping but I can try and get a picture when we give him his next dose of miconazole.

It looks like white chunky stuff sitting at the bottom of his throat, it’s making it hard for him to breathe. How do I know if it’s not yeast but canker? The small isn’t yeasty sweet, it could be called rotten, and there is definitely air buildup in the crop (from what I assumed was fermentation).

Thank you for the help with differential diagnosis, I’ve never dealt with anything like this in my flock.

 

[SnowWhite3]

I'd be interested to see those directions, where did you find them (link)?

Panacur 10% paste dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once daily for 5 days in a row. So if you only gave him a pea size dose and you are trying to treat for worms, then I'd just go ahead and treat with the correct dose.

Seeing white yeasty material inside the beak or throat along with a bad odor is concerning.
Any way you can get photos of that. Is the odor more yeasty or rotten? I still wonder if he has Canker.

Continue with the sour crop treatment though. See if that helps. Do what you can to keep him drinking, he needs to stay hydrated.

I’ve googled a little about canker, and though there is nothing in his mouth, it’s possible that that white stuff down his throat could be it. It’s so hard to tell, but after 3 days of miconazole treatment, he hasn’t improved much. I’m willing to try anything, how do you recommend treating canker? I’ve only found one source that really describes canker in a way that sounds like what he has.
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/how-to-treat-canker-in-poultry.html

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Canker can be treat with Acidified Copper Sulfate or Metronidazole.
The article you linked recommends Copper Sulfate that is acidified with vinegar which is fine. You can order Acidified Copper Sulfate from Murray McMurray hatchery or Jedds Pet Supply.