Sticky/Clear Mucus(?) Desperate

[NelsonNedLover]

Hi all, I have a 5-year-old Bantam rooster who has been sick for about a month now. He had been doing this gagging/regurgitating motion and acting lethargic. He was treated by a vet for a bacterial crop infection and given antibiotics. After a week, he was cured of this infection. Although he was cleared, he was still gagging & lethargic. After various tastings (crop swabs/X-rays/blood tests), he was cleared by our vet and given anti-nausea medication. The medication did not work, and I unfortunately do not have the funds to bring him back to the vet.

After doing independent research, I was recommended by a feed store worker to give my rooster Doxycycline 20% powder in water since he might have a respiratory infection (i was told the gagging could be from mucus in throat). I am on day 5 of treatment and have noticed him for the past 2-3 days begin gagging super hard and then have this clear SUPER sticky liquid come out of his beak. I've also noticed that once the mucus is out, he will stop gagging for about 30mins-1hr. He will also begin eating normally. I also have been giving him rooster booster pellets in feed & probiotic/fiber in another water container. THIS GAGGING/SPITTING UP MUCUS IS ESPECIALLY WORSE AT NIGHT.

Is this mucus a sign of recovery (is he getting rid the mucus he had inside/causing the gagging)? Is this a part of the recovery process for a respiratory illness? has ANYONE dealt with something similar? Please.

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.
It's possible your rooster might have a yeast infection. The mucus is one of the symptoms; gurgling while trying to crow or stops crowing altogether, difficulty eating and drinking.
Open his mouth and look for small white splotches in his mouth especially the roof of his mouth at the back of his throat going down the esophagus.
If that's the case, stop the antibiotics. You can give him an Epsom Salt flush which will clear up the yeast infection in time.

Mix one teaspoon Epsom Salts into a cup of water, make sure it's completely dissolved. Use a syringe without a needle to administer the liquid orally to your rooster. You can pull down on his wattles or pull down the skin on his lower beak and his mouth will open. Give no more than 1/4ml at a time, otherwise the liquid might go down the trachea and there will big problems. Make sure you release his wattles immediately after administering the liquid so he can swallow it on his own.
I recommend that you give him a total 8ml of the Epsom Salt liquid 3 times a day for 5 days.
Hopefully you'll see improvement, back to normal. If not, you might have to use Acidified Copper Sulfate especially if the yeast infection has effected his crop and further down internally.