Sick roo...

[KatiPc]

Hey guys, I noticed two days ago that my roosters comb was darker than normal but everything else still seemed fine with him. Then yesterday it was even darker still and he wasn't his normal aggressive self. He hasn't crowed since yesterday morning. I'm keeping a close eye and he's still eating and drinking although I've never watched him this closely before to notice if his intake is less than normal. I haven't seen him poop yet but all stools in the run look normal. He has electrolyte water and regular water available to him, thought it might've just been heat and dehydration at first. But he's seeming more and more down so thinking it's something else going on. Any ideas? I just gave him a couple drops of Goldenseal oil and Vetrx in case it's respiratory but no sneezing or coughing and no discharge from anywhere.

 

[HuskerHens18]

If you pick him up and feel him, does he feel thin at all? Any mites under his wings or near his vent?

 

[KatiPc]

If you pick him up and feel him, does he feel thin at all? Any mites under his wings or near his vent?

He does not feel thin and I didn't dig through his feathers but I can check.

 

[HuskerHens18]

He does not feel thin and I didn't dig through his feathers but I can check.

Is he old? I had an old rooster that acted pretty similar, but he was fairly old and I didn't know his exact age either. He was roughly 8. But possibly older.
One thing you can do is collect fresh poop and take it to a local vet. Even if the vet isn't necessarily an avian vet, they should be able to tell you if there are parasites. It has to be less than 24 hours old or it is no longer useful.
If he's not thin i really doubt parasites, but it can be worth checking out.

 

[aart]

Dark comb can be indicative of a circulatory/cardiac issue...as does the reduced activity.

 

[KatiPc]

Dark comb can be indicative of a circulatory/cardiac issue...as does the reduced activity.

Anything I can do for him that you know of? He's not even a year old yet. His tail is now droopy so he's definitely not feeling well. Trying to get to the bottom of this before I make decision to cull him. I'd like to give him a chance first though.