Suddenly sick rooster (and avian flu in my state!)

[Sueby]

Good to know, glad you called. I dispose of dead chickens in the trash, if it's not close to trash day I bag them up & put them in the freezer so they don't get stinky. Sorry you lost him.

 

[chicknmania]

Sorry for your loss. Please let us know, if you can, what happened going forward! We're all nervous, and any reassurance (or not) is good info right now. PS: We have, and have had, a few roosters over the years with frostbite. It hurts yes. But, I've never had one get sick from it. I don't think frostbite was your problem.

 

[Momma hen quack]

I agree that frostbite was not the problem. You will definitely know very quickly as it does spread like wildfire as a backyard chicken enthusiast in Maine had chickens dying from it left and right..some 12. Then they had to kill all the rest of his 70 birds. I am scared to death as I have a pet quaker parrot. I would loose my mind if I lost all my birds. His birds caught if from wild ducks coming to eat around his birds from a pond on his property. I am going to start wearing shoe covers in the coop, and I already use gloves. It's so cold that my birds haven't gone out and I think I will just keep them inside in hopes to protect them. Prayers to keep our precious birds protected.

 

[chicknmania]

I agree that frostbite was not the problem. You will definitely know very quickly as it does spread like wildfire as a backyard chicken enthusiast in Maine had chickens dying from it left and right..some 12. Then they had to kill all the rest of his 70 birds. I am scared to death as I have a pet quaker parrot. I would loose my mind if I lost all my birds. His birds caught if from wild ducks coming to eat around his birds from a pond on his property. I am going to start wearing shoe covers in the coop, and I already use gloves. It's so cold that my birds haven't gone out and I think I will just keep them inside in hopes to protect them. Prayers to keep our precious birds protected.

Oh, that is so very sad. Prayers for him and please everybody pray for each other. This is beyond scary. 17 new cases in various States over the last two days....

 

[Tereseb]

I would do a quick check on his keel- is it pointy, or roundish?
If a bit knife like, then he either wasn't getting enough food- pushed out by the other birds, or it's parasites.
I've had roos, and hens, if lower on the hierarchy, pushed out of the food line enough to be stressed, get a parasite load, then get sick. Just a thought.
Check the rest of your birds.

 

[duckduckgoose71]

Quick update!

I called the michigan hotline for avian flu and spoke to a usda agricultural bird specialist doctor. First, she was sooo nice. I.feltnkind fo dumb being a little backyard chicken person needing help when I'm not even really a farm or anything. But she said it was good to have called. Here's a brief summary of her advice:

• They don't think I need to get my.rooster tested at this point and think our risk is low, form what I've told them.
• Keep the rooster a few days, if possible, and see how the other chickens are doing. If they get sick, call them back and they'll get me set up to test my rooster.
• Bird flu should show.up realllly soon, if it hasn't already. By the time one bird dies, other birds are usually already symptomatic. It is fast moving.
• I can actually throw my dead rooster in the trash, properly bagged (once I wait a bit to make sure it isn't avian flu).

The avian flu doctor was soooo nice, I can't write a review for Michigan agricultural department anywhere lol, but 5/5 stars for making a nervous chicken owner feel better lol! Hopefully this thread helps some other nervous chicken owners!

I’m just reading this now. Curious if this remained a one fatality event? I’m very sorry btw. Losing even one bird is painful.

 

[Chicken Esquire]

I’m just reading this now. Curious if this remained a one fatality event? I’m very sorry btw. Losing even one bird is painful.

Yes, sorry I forgot to follow up! Only my rooster died and the rest of the flock remained completely healthy. I didn't do a necropsy or anything, so I still don't know for sure what took out that rooster.