URGENT Roo is lethargic, can’t walk

[Shugercube]

I added egg to the mash and now he’s going to town!

 

[Paz]

Kind of big update- Copper wants to eat again! He is standing and walking around his temporary cage, scratching around in his bedding, and attempting to eat his regular crumbles. I say “attempt” because he is still so wobbly he is mostly just knocking them out of the cup. I tried offering a mash so it kind of sticks to his beak and he can eat more easily, but he wants nothing to do with that just the dry crumbles! I will put some into a better container that I can secure to the cage so that he can’t knock it over. I’m just so excited that he has his appetite back!! His comb *might* even be starting to get less floppy. Maybe just a little bit!!

I will probably still need to tube him some, just because I’m not sure he’ll be able to eat enough on his own just yet. But I will be checking his crop frequently to help me keep track if he’s filling up or not! View attachment 3217168

I’m so glad he’s doing better.
You indeed are dedicated to your birds.

 

[casportpony]

Locked for staff review.

 

[casportpony]

Unlocked. Thanks to all that are participating in a friendly, helpful, and constructive way.

 

[Shugercube]

Nightly update. Things are pretty much the same as yesterday- a willingness/desire to eat, but not actually taking in much himself. After further evaluation it seems he’s still severely underweight, so I increased his feeding volume and frequency. We went from 20mL 3-4 times daily, to 23mL 5 times. He has water available 24/7, and I am giving him freshly mashed up scrambled egg to graze on in between tubings.

I did notice today that his upper beak is getting a tad overgrown, and I think that may be contributing to his struggle to eat well. Here’s a picture, I’m wondering if it looks bad enough to be causing issues. I can trim it, but not sure if it would be better to just leave it alone. I see him trying to “wipe” it on the floor of his cage, but there isn’t anything rough or sharp as I don’t want him to hurt himself in such a small space.

And here’s a daily update photo. He’s starting to get his posture back still looking a little rough, but he’s preening a lot more now!

 

[Shugercube]

WE HAVE CROWING!! He woke me up this morning! Scared the crap outta me

@Eggcessive @casportpony thoughts on when to move him back outside? I’m building him his own little coop today/tomorrow to keep him separate, but don’t want to rush into it and make him sick again from dealing with the outside elements before he’s strong enough. Anything in particular I should be looking for to know when he’s better enough to not need to be so confined? I was thinking eating well on his own, and comb not slumped over, but maybe that’s not needed if he’s going to stay separated?

 

[Shugercube]

thoughts on when to move him back outside?

Guess I should say when or *IF* to move him back outside. Since Marek’s is suspected should I ever bring him outside again?? I’ve read so much on the subject, and it seems the consensus is that it’s pretty much everywhere around us, and if that’s indeed what’s going on with him, my whole flock is already exposed and considered carriers now, regardless. If that’s correct, then I assume it’s “safe” to allow him back outside, and eventually reintegrate with my other banties?

 

[Eggcessive]

It is true, if this was Mareks, it is already in your environment. That is why testing can be helpful. Have you considered letting him spend some time outside with the others in a wire dog crate containing food and water where he can see the others and be protected? You could start for short periods each day.

 

[Shugercube]

It is true, if this was Mareks, it is already in your environment. That is why testing can be helpful. Have you considered letting him spend some time outside with the others in a wire dog crate containing food and water where he can see the others and be protected? You could start for short periods each day.

Thanks. I mostly wanted to verify I wouldn’t be doing any more harm by allowing him back with the flock. Ultimately the goal was to move him and the other banties into their own coop anyway. I have everything to build it, just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. But now Phoenix has very quickly and dutifully stepped up as head rooster, and as he’s a full size RIR I don’t want to put my tiny little Copper back in with the big birds, probably ever. He would easily be murdered, he’s so small compared to Phoenix! He was already starting to question the pecking order before Copper got sick, so I figure it’s best to go ahead and just keep them separated.

 

[Shugercube]

We got some free range time today. No major changes, just small steps continuing forward! He weighed 705g this morning. That’s a 36g gain from his lowest weight a week ago. I’m still tubing him, 30mL per feed now, but today he’s had regular crumbles out all day and seems to be doing better on his own, so I’m only doing 3 feeds. If his weight gain doesn’t seem right tomorrow morning I will go back up to 4. If his gain is sufficient then I’ll keep reducing his tubings little by little to allow him to eat more on his own. Just going to keep weighing and watching his behaviors, and decide what direction to take from there each day. He’s slowly acting more and more like a happy rooster so I’m hoping that after a few more days he’ll be back to normal.