Sick rooster

[LaFleche]

Glad to hear he is improving!

 

[GreenMeadowChickens]

Hi friends, he is still really struggling to breathe. He seemed to be doing better yesterday and but he's taken two steps back today. I've put VetRX on his comb and beak to help him breathe but nothing seems to be helping. He's a fighter but he is getting tired.

He's on antibiotics and it's been 7 days since I did the dewormer. Based on his breathing and the stringy things in his mouth on day 2 of the dewormer, I think we are dealing with gapeworm. Is there anything else I can do for him?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry he's not getting better.

Which antibiotic are you giving?

Can you get a photo of the inside of his beak?

Gapeworms are red and Y shaped.

 

[GreenMeadowChickens]

I'm sorry he's not getting better.

Which antibiotic are you giving?

Can you get a photo of the inside of his beak?

Gapeworms are red and Y shaped.

Hi, I got my hands on some oxytetracycline over the weekend so I've been doing that on the back of his neck every day. However I also ordered the amoxicillin and it arrived yesterday. Should I switch? The amoxicillin is a powered form that goes into his water.

Maybe it's not gapeworm then? The stringy things that came out of his mouth were white and the texture was sort of jelly like. I could see them in his throat as well but that seems to have cleared up. Photos below are from today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi, I got my hands on some oxytetracycline over the weekend so I've been doing that on the back of his neck every day. However I also ordered the amoxicillin and it arrived yesterday. Should I switch? The amoxicillin is a powered form that goes into his water.

Maybe it's not gapeworm then? The stringy things that came out of his mouth were white and the texture was sort of jelly like.

What do you mean you are putting Oxytetracycline on the back of his neck every day?

Sounds like you were seeing mucous in the throat and inside the beak.
Is his crop emptying? Is there a sour or yeasty smell to his breath?

 

[GreenMeadowChickens]

See

What do you mean you are putting Oxytetracycline on the back of his neck every day?

Sounds like you were seeing mucous in the throat and inside the beak.
Is his crop emptying? Is there a sour or yeasty smell to his breath?

Hi there, He seems to have turned a corner and is improving. No sour or yeasty smell to his breath either. I'm still stumped as to what could be bothering him.

A friend who has had chickens for 10+ years adviced me to put the liquid antibiotic on his skin (back of neck/shoulder area) instead of an oral treatment. I'm not sure why exactly but it does seem to be working after 5 days of medication. He wasn't drinking very much, so I'm not sure the antibiotic in his water would have been effective. Also the powder antibiotic took a while to arrive through the mail so I had to work with what I had on hand.

Anyway, crossing our fingers he keeps improving and doesn't backslide again. I'll keep you all updated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad to hear he's doing better!

Huh, that's interesting, never heard of it being applied to the skin. Oxytetracycline (LA200) is usually given by injection into the breast muscle once every 3 days one or two times.

A friend who has had chickens for 10+ years adviced me to put the liquid antibiotic on his skin (back of neck/shoulder area) instead of an oral treatment. I'm not sure why exactly but it does seem to be working after 5 days of medication. He wasn't drinking very much, so I'm not sure the antibiotic in his water would have been effective. Also the powder antibiotic took a while to arrive through the mail so I had to work with what I had on hand.

 

[GreenMeadowChickens]

Hi, I do think it helped but honestly I wouldn't recommend this method to other people. Just get the amoxicillin ahead of time and have it on hand for emergencies!

He does seem stronger and have more energy now that he's been on the amoxicillin for a few days. He isn't breathing as hard and seems more allert. All great news. However, his crop is not emptying and his appetite is poor. So what's in his crop is probably from the last couple of days. I did a little crop massage twice today but I'm not sure it helped much.
I read that tomato juice can help move things along. Is that true? Or should I try the olive oil and continue with the massage?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is the protocols I follow when treating the crop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[GreenMeadowChickens]

This is the protocols I follow when treating the crop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Awesome! Thank you!! I will try this tonight and see if I can get things moving. Poor boy has really had a rough go!