Sick Roo

[squidvicious]

My 1 year old Brown leghorn rooster has labored breathing. He's wheezing in through his mouth and can't crow or cluck properly. The rest of the flock seems fine. I just noticed it last night. Maybe a respiratory infection?

Wondering if there's something i can get for him at tsc?

 

[Eggcessive]

If he is only wheezing, and has no other symptoms such as watery,foamy eyes, sneezing, nasal drainage, or others, I would hold off on antibiotic. Look at your coop ventilation, and maximize it with windows overhead, prevent heat in the coop, and if there is dust in the coop or feed, or damp and mold, try to remedy that. Those things will add to respiratory issues. They sell tons of products like Vet RX, which is just herbal oils that you dab on sort of like Vicks, and many people love it, but I have not used it. Give him a tespoonful of plain probiotic yogurt in his feed twice a week, and make sure that he is drinking plenty of water. A few days of vitamins and electrolytes may boost him a little, and you can add a lot of water to a small bowl of feed for him to pick at for fluids.

 

[squidvicious]

He started to improve, but since yesterday he has gotten worse. He's gasping for air and his comb is turning purple. He's also pretty lethargic. No discharge from eyes or nose. I gave him some vetrx and I'm giving him probiotic water with a dropper. I have him inside away from the hens. I felt his crop and it feels hard. I don't know what it should normally feel like.

Tsc did not have any durmacyn for poultry so i don't know if i could get that anywhere on time.

Any other advice?

 

[Eggcessive]

He may have an impacted crop, if it is hard and he has not been eating. It normally should feel empty by morning. Treating an impacted crop would be harder on him, since it involves given him liquids, and try to empty his crop. TwoCrows has a good article on BYC if you do a search for "impacted-slow-and sour crops symptoms and treatments" that has good advice. He could be sick from something else that has caused his crop to stop functioning, or his crop impaction has caused the other symptoms. It is a holiday weekend, so it would be difficult to get him to a vet tonight, unfortunately. I would try to give him plenty of water if he will drink it, and massage his crop downward to try and get the crop to work. I hope that you can help him.

 

[squidvicious]

I checked the crop again and it feels empty. I just feel the hard esophagus, which i think i had mistaken for the crop the first time.

I really don't know what to do.

 

[Eggcessive]

Will he drink some electrolyte water for you if you hold a spoon or small cup up to his beak? Take a small bowl of chicken feed, and add a lot of water to it to make a slurry of feed for him. Try raw or chopped egg, or any other treats he usually likes. Water is the most important thing. With his comb turning dark, he may be having some heart problems or a severe respiratory problem. I would take a flashlight and look into his throat while someone holds him, and look for a foreign object that is blocking his throat.

 

[squidvicious]

I've been giving him water with probiotics in an eyedropper. If i drip it in his mouth when it's open he will swallow. Other than that he doesn't show any interest in anything.

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be better to get electrolytes and vitamins in his water. Is wheezing and a dark comb his only symptoms? Fungal disease such as aspergillosis can cause silent wheezing and respiratory problems from mold or wet conditions. The dark comb sounds more like a heart problem. If you should lose him this weekend, I would preserve his body in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, to get a necropsy done by your state vet or poultry lab , to look for a cause of death. If he acts cold I would keep him warm, around 75 degrees. Will he eat any wet feed?

 

[squidvicious]

He made it through the weekend and actually started to improve. His color came back and the wheezing lessened. We took him to the horse vet and he said he's not a bird vet but would try to help.

He diagnosed mycoplasma and gave us tylan for the water, enough for the whole flock. He's had his 2 days and is back to gasping. He's also sneezing and has stopped eating. I had to give him water with an eyedropper today. He's in a dog crate in my living room, most of the time it's just him and me.

I have no idea at this point. The horse vet did knpw of a bird vet he could recommend. I just don't know. I can't afford tons of vet trips, but i want to do everything i can for him.

 

[Eggcessive]

Usually with mycoplasma, they will have watery or foamy eyes. Make sure that he is drinking enough of the Tylan water. Sick chickens usually do not drink enough. Here is a good article to read about the symptoms: https://extension.umd.edu//sites/ex... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf