Sick droopy Buff roo. UPDATE!!! GOOD NEWS!!!

[CalebtheChicken]

One of my BO roos is not in very good shape.
He keeps his tail very low (almost dragging the ground). He can hardly keep his eyes open and he keeps his head held tight against his shoulders. He seems to be very weak and can't keep his wings up against his body or walk very much. He does have his appatite, but I haven't seen him drink.
I'm worried he's dehydrated.

I have him in my house so he'll be warm and easier to work with.
Any advise?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Can you give us more information?

How old is he?

How long have you had him?

Where does he live? bedding etc?

What does he eat?

There is a sticky at the top of the page that will help you give us helpful info. The symptoms you're describing are "sick" symptoms, and we need to narrow that down.

 

[Judy]

Have you wormed him or checked for lice/mites?

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Quote:
Sure

About... 3-5 years.

About a year.

His usual home is in my chicken coop, but right now he's in my living room so he can keep warm.

He eats crack corn and he freeranges.

Does that help?

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Quote:
When I brought him in I checked him for mites, and he's never been wormed.

I just re-checked him and he doesn't appear to have mites.

 

[chickerdoodle]

His diet doesn't sound balanced. Most chickens cannot sustain a good diet on free range and a single grain. It would have to be a huge area for him to range with excellent proteins, greens and grain sources for him to have a well balanced diet.

You did right by brining him indoors and getting him warm. I would definitely add a vitamin and mineral with electrolytes in his water. If he isn't drinking at all I would even give the guy a few drops into his beak every 15-30 minutes for a few hours. He can live a little without too much food but will die much quickly without fluids. Offer him a scrambled egg (it has some moisture) or hard cooked egg (chopped) to get some nutrition to help heal whatever ails him. Some give a little sugar in their water for the first few drops for quick energy but it should be followed up with the vitamin water.

You may wish to check him for wounds (under feathers too) as well as his feet for bumblefoot. Check his droppings! Abnormal droppings can signal parasites or even some disease.

Does he feel too thin? He is also not a "spring" chicken but many do live past that age so I would try to figure out what is going on.

Keep us posted!

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Quote:
He does feel thin, thanks for all the advice!
I'll post as new info comes.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Ok, I got him to drink some water. (But trying to give water to a sleepy chicken isn't easy, so I'll wait till morning).

 

[CalebtheChicken]

GREAT NEWS!!!
He's alot more alert, holds his tail and wings up, and he's walking around and he's scratching around his cage!!
But I'm still worried, he's sleeping alot, is this a worry? Or can he go back outside?

 

[Turner]

I would not put him back out until he is back to his normal self..if sleeping a lot still needs more time.
Good Luck!