Sudden Chicken Illness

[knightchicken]

Hello everyone,

Two days ago, I noticed one of our 8 month old roosters was lying on his side in the coop. We isolated him from the others, and noticed that he has the symptom wry neck. He can’t stand up on his own without his neck sagging.

Today we noticed that his eyes are swelling, and appear to have a more red color. He is also breathing from his beak more. Does anyone have an idea of what the condition could be, and a possible treatment?

I attached photos from the first day of onset, to today

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your location? Do you have other roosters or cockerels? Wry neck can be a symptom of head or neck injury, vitamin E or thiamine deficiency, and may be seen in certain infectious diseases, including Mareks, Newcastles, avian influenza, respiratory diseases, and others. Does he have any signs of a respiratory disease? The swelling and watery eye may be related or could have been pecked. I would separate him in a dog crate with food and water, but make sure he cannot drown. Prop him up on rolled towels. Was he acting normal earlier, eating and drinking, and how long ago? Was he vaccinated for Mareks?

 

[knightchicken]

What is your location? Do you have other roosters or cockerels? Wry neck can be a symptom of head or neck injury, vitamin E or thiamine deficiency, and may be seen in certain infectious diseases, including Mareks, Newcastles, avian influenza, respiratory diseases, and others. Does he have any signs of a respiratory disease? The swelling and watery eye may be related or could have been pecked. I would separate him in a dog crate with food and water, but make sure he cannot drown. Prop him up on rolled towels. Was he acting normal earlier, eating and drinking, and how long ago? Was he vaccinated for Mareks?

I do have other roosters, three of them. For other symptoms I can notice, he breathes louder, and with his beak open. Before two days ago, he was behaving normally and eating/drinking normally. He is not vaccinated for Mareks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can he stand at all with your help? Since head injury could be a possibility, I would start some vitamins—vitamin E 400 IU and B complex 1/4 tablet daily plus a small amount of scrambled egg for selenium. If he worsens and you should lose him, I would have the state vet do a necropsy on him. Let us know how he is doing later or by tomorrow. Try getting him to take some water with electrolytes or sugar, and offer mushy wet food if he drinks.

 

[knightchicken]

Can he stand at all with your help? Since head injury could be a possibility, I would start some vitamins—vitamin E 400 IU and B complex 1/4 tablet daily plus a small amount of scrambled egg for selenium. If he worsens and you should lose him, I would have the state vet do a necropsy on him. Let us know how he is doing later or by tomorrow. Try getting him to take some water with electrolytes or sugar, and offer mushy wet food if he drinks.

He can’t, but he can kick his legs and roll his body over. I have vitamin e, and have been mixing it with egg and water since yesterday, and will keep you posted

 

[knightchicken]

An update, he’s not doing well, and seems to be struggling to breathe. He keeps his mouth open, and his neck convulses sometimes.

 

[Eggcessive]

I’m sorry that he is worse. I would keep him warm, and offer some sugar water if he will swallow. Do you want to get a necropsy if you lose him? Here is where to contact your state vet if you want to find out what was wrong.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[knightchicken]

I’m sorry that he is worse. I would keep him warm, and offer some sugar water if he will swallow. Do you want to get a necropsy if you lose him? Here is where to contact your state vet if you want to find out what was wrong.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Thank you, yeah I fed him some sugar water. Going to head to sleep, and see what his condition is like tomorrow

 

[knightchicken]

He died a few hours ago, while I was in class.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very sorry for your loss. If you would,like to try and get a diagnosis on what might have killed him, most state vets will do a necropsy for a nominal price. But the body must be kept cold, not frozen, and taken to the state vet lab. What state are you in? Here is a list of most state vets to contact if you are interested in finding out if he had anything contagious:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html