I'm glad to see this post. I had a rooster yesterday who seemed off balance and thin. When I picked him up to check him out, his wings kept limp but he could hold himself upright in my arms. He was drinking and eating and after a minute or two I swore I was just over reacting because he would seem fine. I had my husband look at him and he seemed fine to him too.
Today however when I checked on him he was completely limp, his eyes glazed over and his crop empty. So limp in fact, he didn't appear to be breathing and I thought he was dead. I was holding him on my lap when I was trying to figure out what was wrong, looking for damaged areas or blood. After a minute or 2 he flung himself up trying to look at me and his went limp again. I had my husband looking over him with me while I was whispering it was ok keeping him calm.
My husband was convinced his neck was broken, but I'm still not sure, he just didn't have strength to hold it up.
My husband put him down, I couldn't watch him suffer like he was and my only suggestion was vitamins or antibiotics. If it was his neck those would have just dragged out the pain. We buried him next to the pond, and I didn't think to get him tested with the ag dept at State. My other chickens are all super healthy and not showing any signs of issues what so ever. I did decide to put some antibiotics in their water for a 3 day treatment just in case.
I ordered some nutri-drench to give them this week... but I'm debating on the wazine dewormer. Its only good for round worm, and I don't see any signs of worm in their poo.
Though I hope this was an isolated incident I'm so emotionally crushed to have lost him, I'm almost at a panic for the rest of my flock.
Which brings up the fact that this rooster has received several vaccines including merek's as I show him and he's actually won several ribbons. So up until now he's always been super healthy. I am only grateful that my last hatch of chicks had 2 white silkie roos in it I still have so I won't be roo-less for spring when I plan to hatch again. I am only disappointed that he was my daughter's favorite, as he was the sweetest to handle and allowed her to carry him around and pet him all the time. (That's huge to a 4 year old, when most of our roo's consider her a threat and I've had to get rid of several before him.)
Today however when I checked on him he was completely limp, his eyes glazed over and his crop empty. So limp in fact, he didn't appear to be breathing and I thought he was dead. I was holding him on my lap when I was trying to figure out what was wrong, looking for damaged areas or blood. After a minute or 2 he flung himself up trying to look at me and his went limp again. I had my husband looking over him with me while I was whispering it was ok keeping him calm.
My husband was convinced his neck was broken, but I'm still not sure, he just didn't have strength to hold it up.
My husband put him down, I couldn't watch him suffer like he was and my only suggestion was vitamins or antibiotics. If it was his neck those would have just dragged out the pain. We buried him next to the pond, and I didn't think to get him tested with the ag dept at State. My other chickens are all super healthy and not showing any signs of issues what so ever. I did decide to put some antibiotics in their water for a 3 day treatment just in case.
I ordered some nutri-drench to give them this week... but I'm debating on the wazine dewormer. Its only good for round worm, and I don't see any signs of worm in their poo.
Though I hope this was an isolated incident I'm so emotionally crushed to have lost him, I'm almost at a panic for the rest of my flock.
Which brings up the fact that this rooster has received several vaccines including merek's as I show him and he's actually won several ribbons. So up until now he's always been super healthy. I am only grateful that my last hatch of chicks had 2 white silkie roos in it I still have so I won't be roo-less for spring when I plan to hatch again. I am only disappointed that he was my daughter's favorite, as he was the sweetest to handle and allowed her to carry him around and pet him all the time. (That's huge to a 4 year old, when most of our roo's consider her a threat and I've had to get rid of several before him.)
