Got home from a short vacation (adult was taking care of pets) and discovered one of my roosters just standing in one spot with his eyes shut. It got very cold while we were gone and I have a feeling he stayed in the enclosed yard and did not go in the coop because he normally sleeps outside. So I'm thinking he got chilled. Anyway, I brought him in, warmed him up, and fed him warmed oatmeal with a syringe. Years ago my parrot vet told me if a bird goes in shock, etc., to jumpstart them with warmed sugar and wine (or some type of alcohol), which I did also. I fed him a small amount of oatmeal every few hours and he seemed to perk up and ate a little on his own yesterday afternoon and evening. He is 1-1/2 yrs. and is also molting again. I cannot afford to take him to the vet (my last bird I took in, died on their table, and the bill was almost $800) and they are really not familiar with chickens anyway, so wondered if anyone could give me some suggestions. I am going to boil an egg and offer him that also. Should I stick with the oatmeal that has brown sugar in it or is something else better? He is pooping normally and I cannot detect anything abnormal with his body. Any help would be much appreciated. I have him in a crate with blankets and towels over it and in his bed to keep him warm. Should I also put in a heating pad? Thanks.
Sounds like you are giving a lot of loving care! One other thing you could give him is scrambled eggs with buttermilk. I would back off the brown sugar or sugar don't want to give too much. Even putting warm water on his regular food like a mash is also good for him. Oatmeal is good. Also something to think about is worm load? All chickens have worms but it's important to worm them. Is he thin? You can feel his breast, don't want to feel too much bone. Hopefully with your loving care he will start feeling better!
