Mystery Illness - please help diagnose

[Shari777]

I have a rooster that is nearly 9.5 years old. For a couple months, he has had a limp. Then a few weeks ago, I noticed he seemed to have slightly droopy wings, though I kind of wondered if I was imagining that or not. Then he started sitting more. Not unexpected due to his limp and age. Then he started sitting nearly all the time and having a hard time walking, so I would bring the food and water to him and put him in the coop at night. Well, for about the past week he can’t walk more than 2 steps and sinks right back down and his head lays on the ground. All I can get him to eat is basically water and milk. He now seems to have a hard time swallowing. He drinks some milk and then kind of seems like he is choking on it. Initially I came to terms with thinking he would pass away from this after a day or two and figure it was just old age and nothing I could do. But, since he is hanging on for so long, I have hope that maybe I can fix this? But I have no idea what to do. I gave him a day of antibiotics early on, but he seemed worse the next day and therefore I decided not to put him through that figuring he would not last the day. I checked for mites and dusted him with DE, but that doesn’t seem to be the issue either. Also, his poo is bright green. I also have two other hens the same age that seem perfectly fine. Any ideas? Please help me save my rooster.

 

[nuthatched]

What's his diet?
Do the hens let him eat?
Any wounds?
Don't use de around you or your birds, it unfortunatly doesn't work.

 

[ChicNmom]

Have you felt and compared his legs and hips to see if he has an injury? If you think he is in pain you can give him some low dose aspirin. I had a hen once with a well hidden broken wing which caused her to stop eating until the pain was managed and she healed.


How is his crop? The bright green poop could be because he isn't eating enough. Have you tried any good treats that might motivate him to eat?

If it seems he is having trouble swallowing i would open his beak and look down his throat with a flashlight to see if there is a canker or some other growth.

 

[Shari777]

His diet is an organic feed. I also give them sunflower seeds as a treat. He has plenty of opportunity to eat with me feeding him by hand. But he won’t eat. I have offered him fried egg and liver and little bits of ribeye steak. He just won’t eat it anymore. I give him milk because I figure there is some nutritional value in it instead of plain water. I haven’t felt his crop only because I am not really familiar with what a crop should feel like. After 9.5 years, you would think I should. Though after almost a week of basically just drinking milk, I’m guessing there is nothing in it. Also, his nostrils have a darkness around them like they are draining and thus attracting dirt. I just got in from trying to feed him liver and milk. As he was drinking some milk, I did notice some fluid leaking from his nostril. I also tried to open his mouth to look in, but he clearly wasn’t going to let that happen. If that is super important, I can have someone help me do that tomorrow. Please let me know if I should. I struggle between letting him pass in peace and poking and prodding to try and give him medicine or do things like check inside his mouth. Thank you for any suggestions you can offer.

 

[Shari777]

Also, I did try to feel his legs early on. I am no expert in chickens, but everything seemed ok. I didn’t see any wounds either.

 

[ChicNmom]

I would still check the crop to make sure it's not impacted. It should be completely empty.

I recently had a hen that stopped eating. Possibly she was broody too long, she was definitely getting picked on because she is a tiny girl. Anyway she would not eat and is super thin. Nothing else wrong with her at all. So I force fed her a little for a couple of days and now she is back with the group eating and acting normal. I think sometimes when they go too long with out eating they lose their appetite.

Do his feet look puffy at all? I had 2 old hens that basically went into heart failure. They slowed waaay down and had fluid buildup in their feet just like people do.


To look down his throat I'd wrap him tightly in a towel and put him in your lap with his back toward you. Have a pen or pencil ready and when you pry his beak open stick the pencil in crossways so he cant close his beak. From there you should be able to gently tilt his head and beak backwards and look inside with a small flashlight.

My personal opinion is that this has been going on for weeks now. If you can't figure out what is wrong with him and some how treat it then you should probably put him down so he isn't lingering and suffering.


None of us want to hear that but it's the kindest thing you can do.

 

[Beakandbutters]

OMG I had a similar thing happen. It was during a hard molt. I thought my chicken was dying. She was wobbly and would sit and try to stand and walk and sit and stop. It was a vitamin deficiency. I crushed up a bcomplex and put it in yogurt. Then put vitamins in water and vitamins everywhere.
I am responding super late to this, is there an update to your rooster?

 

[Shari777]

Thank you for your reply. However, my rooster has since passed away. I don’t think it was a vitamin deficiency since I had given him liver and eggs to try to get him back on his feet. Both of those foods are super nutrient dense. I think at 9.5 years old, he just came down with something that he couldn’t overcome. He’s in a better place now, and for that I am happy for him. Thank you for your response though.

 

[LaFleche]

Thank you for your reply. However, my rooster has since passed away. I don’t think it was a vitamin deficiency since I had given him liver and eggs to try to get him back on his feet. Both of those foods are super nutrient dense. I think at 9.5 years old, he just came down with something that he couldn’t overcome. He’s in a better place now, and for that I am happy for him. Thank you for your response though.

Sorry you lost him. He must have had a great life with you to live this long!

 

[Shari777]

Actually he did have a great life. He and his 6 hens were free to roam our big yard everyday. They loved to sit in the shade under the trees in our orchard eating apples and pears. They spent a lot of time sitting in the shade under our deck watching the world go by. And they got free range in our garden eating lots of fresh veggies. They also got secured in their coop every night so they wouldn’t get taken by predators and they got safe heat in the winter so they would be comfortable. And then, of course, was all the healthy treats I would give them. I miss him, and the place isn’t the same without him, but I know he had a wonderful life. And I know he is in a better place with the other four hens that have gone before him. Anyway, thanks again for your response, I really appreciate it.