Sick roo

[blitz1027]

Hey all. I've got a sick cochin roo on my hands and am looking for some advice. We had a strong storm come through last night and he got wet from all the wind and rain plus we had a sudden drop in temperature as well. When I went to check on them this morning his face was really pale and he just kind of hobbles around with his head hung low. I went to pick him up and found that he weighs nothing. Even my smallest hen weighs more than he does now. I got him fresh water and mixed in some medicine hoping that it might help. He drank some water and after that he started stretching out his neck and opening his mouth like he was trying to crow but he wasn't making a sound. Any thoughts?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Check his crop - is it large and full or empty? If in the morning his crop is full he might have sour or impacted crop.

How old is the little guy? Skinny could mean worms if older, or if young could be coccidiosis.

Check for mites/lice as that can sap energy.

Pale combs can mean anemia from poor nutrition or a parasite. (Of course it can be disease, also.)

Sometimes the comb will change color rapidly but for sure this guy sounds sick and near death.

When they get that "light feeling" and weigh nothing that is a very serious sign.

 

[blitz1027]

He is probably about a year old and it's not just his comb but around his eyes and his wattles have turned almost white. He is considerably skinnier now than he was a couple days ago. I didn't notice at first because of all the fluff but after I saw how little he moved around I went and picked him up and found out he weighed almost nothing.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

He is probably about a year old and it's not just his comb but around his eyes and his wattles have turned almost white. He is considerably skinnier now than he was a couple days ago. I didn't notice at first because of all the fluff but after I saw how little he moved around I went and picked him up and found out he weighed almost nothing.

At that age I'd be for sure considering worms as a possibility - with weight loss and anemia. Worming medications are very hard on chickens though and can even kill them if that isn't the diagnosis and they are near death.

That is a judgement call - I sure don't know what the problem is for sure so I'll say that some vets will do a fecal test for worms for a small fee (just bring the poo in). False negatives are possible.

Have you noticed what their poo looks like? Especially his poo? This poo page might be useful to you.
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0