Sick Rooster.. HELP

[dcaple001]

I have attached a picture of my rooster for reference.

He hasn’t crowed in 4 days. He seems lethargic, he just stands around. His comb is “paler” than usually, it is usually pretty red, now it’s more of a light red/pink. He isn’t his aggressive self, he lets us get close and he just kinda stands there. He sometimes just stands in the corner of the coop. His tail is all down. We checked and I didn’t see any injuries. His poop is runny but nothing too out of the ordinary. He is eating and drinking.... i don’t know what is wrong

We fed him cucumbers and he will eat that. I read to fed him scrambled eggs and garlic- he loved that. Gave all of my hens and him probiotics in some water.

Please help! I don’t want my guy to die but I don’t know how to treat or what is even wrong.

How do I know if it’s worms? How do I treat that?

How do I know if I need to use antibiotics? If so, what do I use? Where do I get it?

 

[AidKD]

You need to try putting apple cider vinegar in his water, but put it in a glass bowl or metal waterer so it doesn't eat away at any plastic. That will help boost his immune system. If you have DE try sprinkling a little bit on him and in his food. You should separate him from the rest of the flock so your girls don't catch whatever he has. Give him a teaspoon of yogurt for some extra probiotics. You could also try giving him some applesauce. Make sure he has plenty of food and water and that he has alot of space to move around. Hope this helps!

 

[LaFleche]

Did you feel his crop: Is it like a hard ball or rather quishy and swollen?

When did you last deworm your chickens? If you can't remember, deworm him. Roosters often don't get enough dewormer because they leave the food for their hens and only pick up the leftovers.

Inspect him and the coop for lice and poultry mites.

Take a look at his feet (bumble foot?) and spurs (over grown?, do they harm him when walking or roosting?).

 

[EggSighted4Life]

How do I know if it’s worms? How do I treat that?

How do I know if I need to use antibiotics? If so, what do I use? Where do I get it?

Get a fecal float done by a vet and SEE what the parasite load is before treating. Ensure you treat with the correct medication IF needed.

Our bodies do this amazing thing called produce their OWN antibiotics.

Checking crop function as suggested is a great place to start.. make sure it's full in the evening and empty before breakfast... feel any hard things left in there at breakfast or squishiness??

What is his regular feed and how old is he?

Careful of the many well meaning folks offering really bad advice..

Hope he recovers and returns his normal self quickly!

Adding your general location to your profile can help folks make their best suggestions possible at a glance. For example in different countries we may not have the same products available to use.

 

[dcaple001]

Get a fecal float done by a vet and SEE what the parasite load is before treating. Ensure you treat with the correct medication IF needed.

Our bodies do this amazing thing called produce their OWN antibiotics.

Checking crop function as suggested is a great place to start.. make sure it's full in the evening and empty before breakfast... feel any hard things left in there at breakfast or squishiness??

What is his regular feed and how old is he?

Careful of the many well meaning folks offering really bad advice..

Hope he recovers and returns his normal self quickly!

Adding your general location to your profile can help folks make their best suggestions possible at a glance. For example in different countries we may not have the same products available to use.

Did you feel his crop: Is it like a hard ball or rather quishy and swollen?

When did you last deworm your chickens? If you can't remember, deworm him. Roosters often don't get enough dewormer because they leave the food for their hens and only pick up the leftovers.

Inspect him and the coop for lice and poultry mites.

Take a look at his feet (bumble foot?) and spurs (over grown?, do they harm him when walking or roosting?).

Thank you! We live in Kentucky....He is about 18 months old. I will check his crop and feet tonight but I do not think it’s that. I have never dewormed him, what exactly do you prefer to deworm? I have read tons of articles and everyone does something different.

Here is a picture from today. His tail is a little less “down” but his comb is much paler than a few days ago.i also feel like he is not as “full” looking, he chest look sunk in

the last picture attached was last year, his chest isn’t sunk in and his comb is very red.

last question — do rooster molt? Because comparing the two pictures he looks as if he is loosing feathers too

 

[dcaple001]

You need to try putting apple cider vinegar in his water, but put it in a glass bowl or metal waterer so it doesn't eat away at any plastic. That will help boost his immune system. If you have DE try sprinkling a little bit on him and in his food. You should separate him from the rest of the flock so your girls don't catch whatever he has. Give him a teaspoon of yogurt for some extra probiotics. You could also try giving him some applesauce. Make sure he has plenty of food and water and that he has alot of space to move around. Hope this helps!

what is DE that you suggested?

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

DE is diatomaceous earth. There's lots of debates on whether it works or not, but my personal opinion is it doesn't do much. When it gets wet, it's ineffective, so ingesting DE wouldn't kill any internal parasites. It's also irritating to your lungs (and your chickens). It gave me an awful cough. I hadn't realized it irritated your lungs. It didn't help with lice when it came to my flock. Personally I wouldn't depend on DE, but everyone has their own opinions.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I have attached a picture of my rooster for reference.

He hasn’t crowed in 4 days. He seems lethargic, he just stands around. His comb is “paler” than usually, it is usually pretty red, now it’s more of a light red/pink. He isn’t his aggressive self, he lets us get close and he just kinda stands there. He sometimes just stands in the corner of the coop. His tail is all down. We checked and I didn’t see any injuries. His poop is runny but nothing too out of the ordinary. He is eating and drinking.... i don’t know what is wrong

We fed him cucumbers and he will eat that. I read to fed him scrambled eggs and garlic- he loved that. Gave all of my hens and him probiotics in some water.

Please help! I don’t want my guy to die but I don’t know how to treat or what is even wrong.

How do I know if it’s worms? How do I treat that?

How do I know if I need to use antibiotics? If so, what do I use? Where do I get it?

Sorry about your rooster. I agree with the previous posters, check for external parasites. He might have coccidiosis, so a fecal test done by a vet would be helpful. That way you would also know if he has internal parasites.
The scrambled egg is a good idea, electrolytes might help to perk him up until the cause is determined. I hope he feels better soon!

 

[dcaple001]

Thanks. I hope we can figure this out soon....do you how much does a fecal test cost at a vet?

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

You could call and ask?