Wobbly Rooster

[Chicklinz]

Hi I am hoping someone can help me figure out what is wrong with my rooster. About 2 weeks ago he started acting weak. He sits down all the time, looking like he just wants to rest, not laying on his side or anything. Then when he tries to stand up he starts to stumble and wobble and crash into everything. Once I either help him or he corrects himself, he doesn't have any trouble walking and running around at all. He is still hungry and eating well and drinking. He is however not letting his hens eat which is certainly a change in behavior. He guards the food. I have to separate him so the others can eat too. I have checked him for mites, ticks and fleas. He has none. I sprayed him anyway with mite/flea spray. I put antibiotics in his water for awhile and nothing changed. I cleaned his pen and sprayed the whole place with orange oil. His food is not moldy and his water is sparkling clean. I thought maybe he had worms, so I put some Wazine in his water a few days ago. Still no change. His crop seems fine and I haven't found any injuries or infections on him. His comb is still red and his eyes are alert. He still just acts weak and wants to sit down all the time. If he did have worms how long would it take for him to bounce back? Any Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Also I recently lost a hen due to what I thought was sour crop. Since she had an enlarged crop and refused to eat or drink. I tried to help her but she slipped away very quickly. She was in his house and was his main girl. They both got "ill" around the same time but have very different symptoms. Not sure if they are suffering from the same thing or not.

 

[dawg53]

What is the age of your rooster? This doesnt sound like worms to me. The wazine wouldve gotten rid of large roundworms if that was the problem and he'd be up and running in less than 3 days. Check the bottom of his feet for bumblefoot, also scaley leg mites.
I'd also suspect ear mites. If they get deep in the ear canal they can cause vertigo. An eardropper full of vegetable oil with a few drops in each ear will suffocate the mites...if that's what it is.
Does the color of his comb change to darker colors? If so, it could be a blood flow problem causing imbalance, maybe the heart or heart valve going bad. A bacterial infection can be a cause as well. You can usually tell by the color of his poop. Green poop can possibly indicate that he's not eating and it's bile or maybe the onset of a bacterial infection. Greenish/yellowish diarrhea type poop is a definite infection, like E Coli... I've dealt with that.
Thoroughly inspect the inside of "his" house for anything out of the ordinary...parasitic or anything else that could bite them at night besides mites...spiders etc...

 

[Chicklinz]

Thanks! I might try the oil in the ear. My rooster is about 6 years old. His poop has been runny and is bright green. He eats a lot though. He tries not to let any of the hens eat because he wants it all to himself, which he never did before. His comb hasn't changed color, it is still red. His eyes are bright and alert. I looked at his feet and they are fine and his legs look fine too. He shed one of his spurs so he only has one spur at the moment, but that's the only thing that is off about his legs.

 

[dawg53]

I highly recommend that you get him started on baytril, which will require a prescription or a trip to a vet. Feed him scrambled egg mixed with buttermilk and poultry nutri drench in his feed to make a mash and give it to him to eat til about one week after the diarrhea/green poop clears up. Only put about 5 drops of the nutri drench in the mixture and mix it all up well. I suspect a bacterial infection in his guts. The baytril and probiotic mix will get it under control. The sooner you get to it, the better. Good luck.

 

[Chicklinz]

OK well it has been a couple weeks. I thought I'd try some Durmycin 10 for a little while first. He has not improved and has gotten just a little worse. So I decided to take him to the vet. The vet was not sure what was wrong with him, he said a bacteria infection is low on his list of possibilities. He did hear a soft murmur in his heart. So you may be right about a heart issue. I sure hope that's not what it is. Further tests would need to be done to determine if he is having any major organ problems. However that was going to cost almost $500.00...so not going to go that route. The possibility of metal toxicity was discussed as well. (perhaps he may have eaten something metal). Anyway, I did get some antibiotics for him (baytril) and am going to try that and see how it goes.

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[seminolewind]

I did lose one to cardiac failure, I think, and he looked like he was eating, but wasn't really. Check his crop, see if it's full in the evening to see if he's really eating.
My one with cardiac failure just kept falling asleep all the time.

Did you ever think about eyesight?

 

[Chicklinz]

Hi, I didn't check his crop tonight but a few nights back I did and it was full of food. It emptied out by the next morning. He seems to be eating OK. I have also been giving him a mashed up hard boiled egg or yogurt everyday. He eats all of it up enthusiastically. I have considered an eyesight issue, but he seems to see just fine, and can focus on things close up and far away. He gets very excited when he sees me coming with my bowl of treat for him each day. He has gotten pretty spoiled since he got sick