Thin lethargic rooster, can he be helped?

[Sunny Side Up]

I posted about this bird in the Meat Birds Etc. section, a thread titled "Would you eat this chicken?", I hope it's all right to ask here too.

This is a 24-week-old cross-bred Barred Rock roo who has been penned with other young mixed-breed roos in the meat pen and also allowed to free-range during the day. I've noticed for the past few weeks he's been acting rather lethargic, sitting & dozing in the shade when others are running around. Last week I moved these roos to more confined quarters in preparation for D-day and noticed this roo lying across the roost nodding off to sleep in the middle of the day. When I lifted him to carry him to the hospital pen I noticed he is quite light in weight, with a rather sharp keel bone, although he had a fairly full crop.

He doesn't have mites or lice. He's not pooping much & what he is producing doesn't look bad. The only thing I noticed upon close examination is a small bit of thread-y mucus on the feathers below his vent, like snot from a sneeze.

If it's an ailment easily cured it would be worth it to treat him for later consumption. But I don't want to butcher him if he's diseased, has been heavily medicated, or just scrawny. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.

 

[chickenzoo]

Has he been wormed ?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I plan to give him some Wazine in his water dish tomorrow, I removed the dish tonight so he'll be good & thirsty in the am. But I wonder if it is worms that are bothering him, none of his pen-mates show the same symptoms. I wonder if he ate something he shouldn't have while out in the yard, a piece of metal like a dropped nail or screw. He's been acting "off" for a few weeks now.

 

[ChooksChick]

My first thought is that he may have an impacted crop. It would be full or mushy feeling and yet not deliver the food to him, thus making him starve.

Best of luck!

 

[chickenzoo]

I have like 300 chickens and sometimes it will just be one that comes up looking sick and needs worming. But it is normally a warning sign to start up the worming program, well at least with all mine.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I really don't know what to do with this roo

His crop is now flat, not mushy or full. So I don't think it's sour/impacted crop. He's not interested in the feed in his dish. I took out his water last night & didn't give him the Wazine-water until late this morning but he wasn't interested in drinking, not even if I stuck his beak in the water. He spends most of his time lying on the floor or sprawled on the roost, but when you approach he'll jump up and try to run away.

I think I may just send him to The Other Side of the Road. I don't need the meat that much to risk eating a sick bird. And I don't want him to continue to get worse, and especially don't want him to possibly infect anyone else.

I recently wormed most of my laying flock, but didn't do the meat birds. There are 6 mixed-breed roos around 20-24 weeks old, with the holiday activities I haven't had time to butcher them. I could dose them tomorrow & wait 14 days to butcher them, but would rather not if they really aren't harboring worms.

Please help me make up my mind!