Sickly rooster

[Razz Gavin]

I have a rooster who has seemed a little down lately, he has no energy and he weighs nothing. I've checked thoroughly for lice or mites but I haven't seen anything. He's in the middle of molting and weighs absolutely nothing. He's getting picked on by the other birds so I'm separating him and taking him to my place to keep him indoors at night while he recovers.

What can I do to get his weight up? I offered him food and he turned it down and I don't want to have to force feed him unless I have to. Anyone know what I can do for him? He's a very sweet rooster and even fought off a bald eagle a few months ago. He has had a bit of a limp since then and I'm not sure how I can help him.

I just got him to eat a drink a bit today before I left for work. I turned his food into baby mush and raised it close to eye level so he wouldn't have to bend down too far.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is your rooster? Was he vaccinated for Mareks disease? Has he been wormed recently? Molting is very hard on chickens. It is a time when some roosters may be picked on. Do you have other roosters or cockerels in your flock? I would offer some vitamins in his food or water, or give him some Poultry NutriDrench orally. I would get some SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer, and give him 1/4 ml per pound orally for 5 consecutive days. Scrambled egg, tuna, and canned cat foodcan be given in small amounts to get him to eat his chicken feed. Watery chicken feed may be given as well.

 

[Razz Gavin]

How old is your rooster? Was he vaccinated for Mareks disease? Has he been wormed recently? Molting is very hard on chickens. It is a time when some roosters may be picked on. Do you have other roosters or cockerels in your flock? I would offer some vitamins in his food or water, or give him some Poultry NutriDrench orally. I would get some SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer, and give him 1/4 ml per pound orally for 5 consecutive days. Scrambled egg, tuna, and canned cat foodcan be given in small amounts to get him to eat his chicken feed. Watery chicken feed may be given as well.

I just got home from work, and he's about 6 years old to my knowledge. The birds very rarely get the luxury of going to the vet so I end up giving them as much in home care as possible. I had to sneak some wet cat food into his beak to get him to try it and he perked up a little and ate some (my actual cat who happens to be named Chicken was very jealous). I'll see if our local feed store has any of that dewormer. We only have one other rooster and he isn't too bright and hasn't really shown interest in being alpha, so I don't know who might've been picking on him. I do have two tom turkies that live on the property and one of them gets rather territorial about food, so I suspect he may be the problem. I'll see how he does in the morning and hope he shows improvement.

(I typed this post last night but apparently it didn't get posted yet my phone saved it?)

Update: I bought a feeding syringe and gave him some wet chick feed and he seems to be perking up just slightly. He drinks on his own but it's eating he seems to have the most trouble with. His legs and neck are strong, I could tell whenever he tried fighting the tube away from him, but overall he handled it pretty well and he's resting in a car carrier for the rest of the night.