Wheezing rooster

[MavisMama]

Our 2year old rooster started wheezing about a week ago. He otherwise behaves normally, eating, drinking, lively, bright eyed & bushy tailed, no drainage or sign of fever.
1 nostril is dirty - he loves fruit & then forages so the dirt is certainly stuck on 1 nostril - I've tried to clean it with warm damp q-tip, but it's not perfectly clean.
I don't want to assume it's a blocked nostril causing the wheezing - I'll keep working at cleaning the nostril, but if this is a sign of illness I need to treat, I'm hoping someone will guide me.
I have Corid solution I used last year for a different chicken. Wondering 2 things - would it be good for me to dose him in his water (he's separate from the hens most of the time because he's kind of a jerk) prophylacticlly and, 2, is the Corid still good? It's been stored at ~65deg dark, never contaminated, but there's no exp date on the package.
Thanks. Even though my rooster is socially inept, I still love him.

 

[Eggcessive]

Corid is only for treating coccidiosis, not for respiratory diseases, so I would not use it. First, look into his throat and beak with a light to make sure that he has no yellow patches or anything blocking his airway. Make sure your coop overhead ventilation is good, the temperature is not too hot, and there is no dust or wet areas where mold could be a problem. Clean his nostril with peroxide, a QTip, and a toothpick, if necessary to get it open. Have you recently added any new birds to your flock, or had any respiratory diseases in the past? High heat can cause panting, and sometimes heart problems, being overweight, and mold can cause gasping. Of this persists, then either see a vet, or consider fiving him a round of Oxytetracycline or Tylan in his water for a possible bacterial respiratory infection. Tylan 50 injectable may also be given orally instead.

 

[MavisMama]

Thank you for your quick reply!
No signs of respiratory distress in the flock.
His coop area is well ventilated , but I'll check for mold - he loves watermelon, wonder if we left something too long ?
But we'll definitely check for yellow patches in his throat - if that's present, then what should we do?
Thanks again

 

[MavisMama]

Now he can't crow. He tries and just squeaks

 

[MavisMama]

Just an update - we were able to remove a pretty big chunk of stuff that was packed in his nostril, which seems to have helped, but it seems there's more that's too deep to get at. We'll try again later - giving him a break - to soften it some more & hopefully clear it.
Any more suggestions are always welcome. Thanks again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Saline drops into the nostril may help soften the material. Did the debris that came out of his nose look like mucus and stuck food, or was there anything in there that could be some sort of infectious process? You may want to look in the roof of his mouth for anything unsual. Canker is something that might affect a nostril as well as the inside of the mouth.

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Our vet had us give Tatertot saline nebulizer treatments.

It helped clear her, we also were reminded to put ACV in her water because she had a build up of yeast.

 

[MavisMama]

Thanks - I thought about the saline & will try that. The matter we picked out of the nostril looked like corn dust and dirt. There's no mucous, eyes are clear. I looked inside his mouth & there was no yellow patches, but I really never looked in a chicken's mouth like that before so I don't know that I'd recognize "abnormal." Last we checked on him he's still wheezing, but alert and he has been eating. I also put ACV in his water regularly. It seems his trachea is getting more irritated from the mouth breathing, too.
Thanks again for your help.

 

[MavisMama]

Just a final update - our rooster is back to his old self and crowing again. Removing that plug from his nostril did the trick - thanks again for all your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

That is good news, and I hope he continues to get better.