Sick Rooster

[7sweetgirls]

My 4 month old rooster doesn't seem to be himself, he is lethargic, has watery stools, I found him laying down and he's puffing his tail feathers out like a turkey. Any ideas as to what to do? I called our local vet and they want me to bring him in...

 

[Stephine]

Unless the vet is actually experienced with chickens I would save the money. Any other signs? I would start with Corid - 4 months old, could be coccidiosis. Dose for severe cases. If no improvement I would ask the vet for an antibiotic. Since it’s a roo you don’t have to worry about eggs...

 

[7sweetgirls]

Thanks where do I get Corid? thanks

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Hello - It's hard to know what is going on with him. If his stools are watery, he has diarrhea. This could be due to worms, coccidia (look for blood in stool), enteritis (stomach infection. I'm thinking worms, a fecal float will tell you what is going on. Keep him in a hospital cage till tomorrow. Take him to the vet, they are trained in avian medicine. Otherwise, you could waste valuable time guessing at what medication to use. If he is eating give him some toast with a bit of butter & tablespoon of scrambled egg. The food will keep him strong till you see the vet.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Also, be sure to bag a sample of his stool for the vet.

Best of luck.

 

[7sweetgirls]

Hello - It's hard to know what is going on with him. If his stools are watery, he has diarrhea. This could be due to worms, coccidia (look for blood in stool), enteritis (stomach infection. I'm thinking worms, a fecal float will tell you what is going on. Keep him in a hospital cage till tomorrow. Take him to the vet, they are trained in avian medicine. Otherwise, you could waste valuable time guessing at what medication to use. If he is eating give him some toast with a bit of butter & tablespoon of scrambled egg. The food will keep him strong till you see the vet.

Thank you. Just gave him an egg... he is was just standing there.. ugh, I hope he is going to be OK

 

[Stephine]

You can get Corid at the feed store. While you’re at it, get some Nutridrench if available - it will give him important nutrion and vitamins even when his digestive tract isn’t working properly. I would Not deworm a rooster that is already so week he is lying down.
Tell us more about his environment, feed, etc.
Chickens with coccidiosis do not have to have blood in their stool. Only one of the many types of cocci causes blood in stool. He is young enough that first exposure to (too much) cocci is likely Corid will not harm him and work quickly, so it is an easy thing to try first.
You would be very lucky if your vet actually new something about chickens (not just parakeets, etc) - here the vets are really expensive and pretty much useless for chickens.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[micstrachan]

Great advice here. I agree keeping him as strong as possible is important. Fluids are critical. Will he drink? I had a sick chicken who would not drink except for from a plastic water bottle lid. I would also place droplets of water on the side of her beak so they would drip to her mouth and she would swallow them. Maybe you can try that.
I think I read somewhere here recently, tonight even, I think, that you should not give electrolytes if you suspect coccidosis because the protozoa thrive on it? Experts, please chime in and corroborate or correct me.

 

[Stephine]

Great advice here. I agree keeping him as strong as possible is important. Fluids are critical. Will he drink? I had a sick chicken who would not drink except for from a plastic water bottle lid. I would also place droplets of water on the side of her beak so they would drip to her mouth and she would swallow them. Maybe you can try that.
I think I read somewhere here recently, tonight even, I think, that you should not give electrolytes if you suspect coccidosis because the protozoa thrive on it? Experts, please chime in and corroborate or correct me.

Do not give anything with added B vitamins while treating coccidiosis with Corid. Corid works by making B vitamins unabailable to the cocci (which weakens them) and if you give extra B vitamins you are weakening the effect of the drug. Thank you for catching that - I should have been more clear... I have written about these things so often in this forum I feel like everybody should know by now... So, yeah, do one or the other not both at once.
When or if the roo recovers, best is to buy the book „Chicken Health“, keep Corid and nutridrench on hand, maybe an antibiotic if you want to go that route. And Epsom salt, safeguard dewormer, pure elemental sulfur. Then you are well equipped and know more about chicken illnesses than any vet (at least in my neck of the woods and we are in the country)...

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Yes, whether you have a trusted vet as I do or not. You really need to have a chicken medical kit ready. I agree that educating yourself on caring for sick chickens is also a plus. Gail Demerow authors excellent books on chicken health. But, even then...sometimes you need a vet. Or, be OK with the inevitable death of your chicken. I have had a rooster and a couple of hens who's live were saved by that vet. I just could not diagnose them. Most of the time, I take care of them by running a fecal float test at the UC Davis Lab here in town. It's $10 a sample and exact parasite will be identified whether worm or coccidia. Infection is another story, external is easy to see. But an internal infection, not so easy. Live and learn...you'll develop your own triage style.