Respiratory Infection in Rooster

[User4477]

Hello, my rooster is having trouble breathing this morning, he is gasping for air, opening his beak, and I hear congestion coming from his beak. He is coughing and gasping. His eyes are also watery/foamy. No discharge for his nostrils yet. I applied VetRx to his nostrils, beak, comb, wings, eyes, as well as inside his mouth on his palate with a q-tip. There are no vets near me that treat chickens, but I'm pretty sure he needs antibiotics. I don't know what kind or how much to give him or what else to do for him.

It's been rainy/snowy/windy for a few days but I wrapped the coop and run with plastic sheets and have done my best to keep it as dry as possible, with adequate ventilation so I'm sad this happened to him and I don't know what else to do I'm scared he's going to die; I love him very much

 

[User4477]

Also, he's the only one out of 6 other chickens that is showing symptoms. Should I separate him?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may need to move him somewhere a little warmer since he's struggling.

Does he have any canker, yellow or white pasty material inside the beak?
Any bad odors?

The symptoms you describe maybe be Mycoplasma. You can try an antibiotic like Tylan/Tylosin, Tetracyclines or Tiamulin (Denagard) to see if one of those help with symptoms. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find Tylan at TSC. If not, you can order it online. https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder?_pos=1&_sid=9db79c109&_ss=r

Here's more info about respiratory diseases https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PS044

 

[User4477]

You may need to move him somewhere a little warmer since he's struggling.

Does he have any canker, yellow or white pasty material inside the beak?
Any bad odors?

The symptoms you describe maybe be Mycoplasma. You can try an antibiotic like Tylan/Tylosin, Tetracyclines or Tiamulin (Denagard) to see if one of those help with symptoms. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find Tylan at TSC. If not, you can order it online. https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder?_pos=1&_sid=9db79c109&_ss=r

Here's more info about respiratory diseases https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PS044

Hello, I will move him inside where he will be warmer. He does not have any discharge aside from the foam in his eyes that comes and goes. And no material or discharge inside his beak- it looked clear. Also, no odd odors from him at all.

Thank you so much for your advice. I'm thinking of making an hour drive to take him to a vet though, because I'm afraid I'll give him an incorrect dose of the antibiotic. If not, I might try Tylan which I've seen at TSC and hope for the best

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Hello, my rooster is having trouble breathing this morning, he is gasping for air, opening his beak, and I hear congestion coming from his beak. He is coughing and gasping. His eyes are also watery/foamy. No discharge for his nostrils yet. I applied VetRx to his nostrils, beak, comb, wings, eyes, as well as inside his mouth on his palate with a q-tip. There are no vets near me that treat chickens, but I'm pretty sure he needs antibiotics. I don't know what kind or how much to give him or what else to do for him.

It's been rainy/snowy/windy for a few days but I wrapped the coop and run with plastic sheets and have done my best to keep it as dry as possible, with adequate ventilation so I'm sad this happened to him and I don't know what else to do I'm scared he's going to die; I love him very much

You could give him a nebulizer treatment possibly

You can copy and paste in google the link.... @Wyorp Rock ? Would this work

 

[ChickenLeg]

Tylan is very easy to administer. Though I had a rooster who had a respitory infection, he lived inside for well over a month and was babied and treated to the best of my ability and I still had to eventually cull him :/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello, I will move him inside where he will be warmer. He does not have any discharge aside from the foam in his eyes that comes and goes. And no material or discharge inside his beak- it looked clear. Also, no odd odors from him at all.

Thank you so much for your advice. I'm thinking of making an hour drive to take him to a vet though, because I'm afraid I'll give him an incorrect dose of the antibiotic. If not, I might try Tylan which I've seen at TSC and hope for the best

If you have vet care as an option, that is always best.

But if you are not able to see the vet and can get the Tylan50 or 200 at TSC, I will help you with the dose calculation. I just need to know how much he weighs. Tylan is given orally, so no need to worry about injections, but you do need a pack of needles for your syringe so you can draw the medication from the bottle.

Nebulizing, using a mister or vaporizer is also something some do. Most would use Oxine, I believe that would be need to be ordered online, I've never seen it in stores. An onsite search of using Oxine will give results on it's use. The article linked has some info as well. https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/the-many-uses-of-oxine-ah-animal-health/

You could give him a nebulizer treatment possibly

You can copy and paste in google the link.... @Wyorp Rock ? Would this work

 

[User4477]

If you have vet care as an option, that is always best.

But if you are not able to see the vet and can get the Tylan50 or 200 at TSC, I will help you with the dose calculation. I just need to know how much he weighs. Tylan is given orally, so no need to worry about injections, but you do need a pack of needles for your syringe so you can draw the medication from the bottle.

Nebulizing, using a mister or vaporizer is also something some do. Most would use Oxine, I believe that would be need to be ordered online, I've never seen it in stores. An onsite search of using Oxine will give results on it's use. The article linked has some info as well. https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/the-many-uses-of-oxine-ah-animal-health/

The soonest appointment I can get for a vet is next week, and I can't find Tylan or any antibiotics at TSC or anywhere else because I'm in California. They won't even ship it to me.

I've been treating my boy with VetRx. He's been in my bathtub and I've been applying warm vetrx to his nostrils, comb, around his eyes, under his wings, and inside his mouth 4 times daily.
He is no longer gasping for breath, though he does open his beak wide to get air sometimes, he's no coughing, and I haven't noticed anymore foaminess in his eyes. He does sound very congested however.
My husband insists on not giving him antibiotics or taking him to a vet, and just keep treating him with the vetrx. Also, he says he might die of loneliness if I don't consider putting him back with the others.

I'm at a loss now on what to do

Any advice is welcome at this point

 

[User4477]

Tylan is very easy to administer. Though I had a rooster who had a respitory infection, he lived inside for well over a month and was babied and treated to the best of my ability and I still had to eventually cull him :/

I'm sorry about your baby I hope mine gets better, but I know sometimes there's only so much we can do.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The soonest appointment I can get for a vet is next week, and I can't find Tylan or any antibiotics at TSC or anywhere else because I'm in California. They won't even ship it to me.

I've been treating my boy with VetRx. He's been in my bathtub and I've been applying warm vetrx to his nostrils, comb, around his eyes, under his wings, and inside his mouth 4 times daily.
He is no longer gasping for breath, though he does open his beak wide to get air sometimes, he's no coughing, and I haven't noticed anymore foaminess in his eyes. He does sound very congested however.
My husband insists on not giving him antibiotics or taking him to a vet, and just keep treating him with the vetrx. Also, he says he might die of loneliness if I don't consider putting him back with the others.

I'm at a loss now on what to do

Any advice is welcome at this point

My understanding it is difficult to get abx in CA.
I'm sorry that you are facing this
OK so, you just need to try to work with what you have. I would continue with the VetRx then. Keep working on him drinking, he needs to stay hydrated. If possible, get some probiotics into him. These can be purchased probiotics or if you have some plain yogurt, mix a little into his feed. About 1 tablespoon yogurt a day.
I know the little sheet that comes in the VetRx box is small print, some folks have reported there was not an instruction sheet, if that's the case - instructions can be found in the link below. You can try stepping up to a bit of stronger solution per the instructions to see if that helps.
https://www.drugs.com/vet/vetrx-poultry-remedy.html

Does he have any lice/mites? Just asking, I'm sure you would have mentioned them.

As for him dying of loneliness, he will be ok by himself. I keep roosters by themselves all the time. The breed I keep the males cannot be near one another period, they each have their own pen and do just fine.
That said, they do like being able to see other chickens, then hens run loose so they do get to have visitors stop by and chat (the hens reach in and eat their food)

What is your weather like and how is your coop/run set up?
The issue may be that you have a chicken in the house, so...
Do you have a place where you can set up a dog kennel or crate or section off a secure area for the rooster while he's recovering? He will need to be sheltered and stay relatively warm. Near the hens or inside the coop with good ventilation would be preferrable, they do like to see the girls.
This may also help ease some tensions within the household as well. Just a thought.