Sick Rooster

[AnjanB]

Rooster appears to be sick, last couple of weeks he stands around, miss his morning crowing, does not eat and he has no fight. Saw some Mucus discharge yesterday.

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Sorry about your rooster!

What breed is he? How old?
Are any others in your flock sick?
Have you done anything to help him so far?

Can you post a photo of him?

 

[AnjanB]

Thanks for your reply. Not sure about breed but likely Americana. He is around 5 years old. Gave him some Amoxicillin and ordered some Enrofloxacin. The 3 hens appear to be OK. I'll look for a photo, or else I'm sure my wife has a few!

 

[AnjanB]

One of our hens got infected with whatever this disease condition is and my wife just texted me that she had passed on and I am bummed. Just took a week. The rooster is still alive, just hanging on. They both had this clear discharge, but the hen's discharge turned green. Tried to give water, but she threw it up. We separated the other two hens and they seem OK for now. Added apple cider vinegar to their water.

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Sorry for not replying, I didn’t see your post. I’ll call some people over to help you.

@azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss.

You mention a discharge, where was that coming from - vent or beak?

Has the rooster improved with Amoxicillin? What dose are you giving, how many times a day and for how long?

I'd check to make sure crops are emptying. Look inside the beak for any signs of canker.

If you lose another in a short period of time, getting a necropsy will give you the best information.


https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[AnjanB]

Thank you for your reply. The discharge was from the beak. About 10 mg given that the weight of the rooster has been considerably lower and for the past few days. I got a solution of Baytril and started that yesterday, going with the approx suggested dilution and feeding by syringe. The hen who passed was not keeping anything down so I'm not sure how much she ingested. Her sister and our other hen are fine for now. We include apple cider vinegar in their water now and crushed pepper flakes in diet. They don't seem to eat the protein pellets much, is there an alternative? They appear to eat all the grains OK. The rooster is slightly better today, my wife has been giving him a bit of sugar water to get his energy level up. We have isolated him from the 2 hens for now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for your reply. The discharge was from the beak. About 10 mg given that the weight of the rooster has been considerably lower and for the past few days. I got a solution of Baytril and started that yesterday, going with the approx suggested dilution and feeding by syringe.

They don't seem to eat the protein pellets much, is there an alternative? They appear to eat all the grains OK. The rooster is slightly better today,

Where are you located in the world? U.S.?
Can you post photos of the rooster, his poop and the labels of the feed/pellets and grains you feed?

How old are they?

Do your birds have access to Grit (Crushed Granite)?

I'd check the crop to make sure it's emptying overnight. Look him over for lice/mites.

Chickens do not vomit, they don't have a gag reflex, so if they are spitting up water/feed, etc., then a crop/digestive issue is likely part of the problem.

 

[AnjanB]

I live in KY in the USA. He is 5 years old, and we give them grits with feed as well. He perked up some yesterday and ate a few pellets. Mixed grains and the 16% protein pellets are the norm, but we do give them greens like kale, wild garlic, lettuce on occasion and dried worms as a treat. He has not gone lately, but I'll take a pic when he does go

 

[Wyorp Rock]

He's older, have you dewormed him recently?