Sick rooster

[Jrg23]

Hi I have a rooster who has been not normal for a while now. Opens his mouth wide and does not crow. Rest of flock seems fine all hens besides him. Seems to be getting worse with colder weather of late. Have given him 2 doses of baytril in past and he gets better for awhile and then seems to go back to being under the weather. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Uh oh! So sorry that your roster is sick. I am not an expert but I have a few questions that could help narrow down the possibilities:

Does he make raspy noises when breathing, cough and/or have nasal discharge (i.e a runny nose)?
How does his comb look (i.e is it pale and/or have any scabs?)
How old is you rooster?
Is he underweight/not eating?
How long has this been going on (weeks or months)?
Does he show signs of external parasites?
Does his plumage look healthy (does he have plenty of shiny, strong feathers)?
Could you post a picture of him?

Hope that your rooster is better soon!

BTW: I would advise giving him some probiotics to help replenish his good gut bacteria and balance his intestinal flora after the use of the antibiotics.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Jrg23 Welcome To BYC

@Little Chicken Girl has asked some great questions - hopefully with the answers to those and some photos we will be able to give you some suggestions.

In the meantime, can you take a look inside his beak for any obstruction or sores. Also check his crop to see if it's emptying overnight.

btw- photos of his poop may be helpful too

 

[micstrachan]

Great questions by @Little Chicken Girl ! I would also examine him all over. How is his crop? Empty in the morning? How is his breast muscle and keel bone proportion? (meaning, is he feeling skinny/bony?) Is he eating, drinking, pooping, breathing, walking normally? Thank goodness you do not have reproductive issues to worry about with him, like with hens. I think we could probably narrow it down to respiratory or digestive systems.
While you figure things out, I highly recommend supportive care, including poultry vitamins and electrolytes in his water. How cold is it where you live? Bringing him inside to a warm, safe, calm environment may be beneficial if it doesn’t stress him out too much to be apart from his ladies. May have to do that anyway, if he is in bad shape.
I’m still learning about meds, so not sure what the Baytryl is for? Interesting that he responds, but then relapses.
Please provide as much information ss possible so we can help you and your boy.

 

[Jrg23]

Thanks all for the replies. He is 2 yrs old. He got sick after we had gotten some new hens , He seems a little underweight for a rooster can feel his bone by his breast pretty easily , he eats and drinks fine and comb is nice and red. He does at times sounds like he is gargorling when breathing if that makes sense. Also last night I put a heat lamp on him to keep him warm and this morning he was crowing slightly but low for first time in awhile and seemed much better this am. I will send some pictures of him tonight when I get home. Thanks again for all the help

 

[Wyorp Rock]

He got sick after we had gotten some new hens....sounds like he is gargorling when breathing

How does his crop feel?
Have you observed any mucous from the nostrils or watery/bubbly eyes?

Since symptoms appeared when you got new hens, then you may be dealing with a respiratory illness. Infectious Bronchitis and Mycoplasma are fairly common. Symptoms can lessen or birds can seem to be fine, only to have the illness reappear when under stress (molting, changes in weather/environment, etc.). If it is a respiratory illness, antibiotics won't cure the illness, but does help with secondary infections. Since he did respond to treatment, you may want to give him another course of medication.


Having some testing done is always a good idea - fecal float to rule out worm and Coccidiosis overload. Gram stain to check for infection. If you happen to lose him, sending him to your state lab for testing would give you some answers.

Along with providing him supportive care (extra vitamins/protein), evaluate your housing to ensure proper ventilation - during cold weather, we tend to want to close everything up - housing needs to provide protection from winter elements and be draft free, but there still needs to be airflow.