Poor Claude in a mess.

chrismahon

chrismahon

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When we got Claude, our TNN cockerel, he wouldn't eat pellets. They just went everywhere and we asked the previous keeper what he fed him. He said dry mash. So we swapped him onto mash and he started eating. But he's always been a messy eater with food all over his beak.

He also had feather lice when he arrived so we gave him a thorough dusting. Then he started moving perches so we checked for red mite, found them and sprayed the coop.

Today he had lost his flighty, climb the cage walls behaviour and came calmly out of his run to eat mixed corn straight out of the scoop. Had noticed less poo in the coop at night but looking at the bedding it seemed he had been digging it over in the morning so that explained it. Also noticed he looked a bit pale. Anyway I stroked him and he carried on eating so I picked him up. He weighs nothing !! So I think his calm behaviour is simply a lack of protein to his brain.

So I assembled a cage in the study and brought him in without a struggle. First thing I noticed then was his crop was complely empty and the next thing was lice all over the place. Can't mess about with him in that condition so the Frontline spray came out. I then suspected worms. We haven't treated him because we wanted to get him on pellets first. That may be a problem, which we will treat as Sue did with Olive Oil and Flubenvet paste orally, but it's not the immediate problem.

I opened his beak and could not believe what I saw. The tip of his tongue is black and it curls back on itself to form a ball and has fungal infection. This explains why he couldn't get pellets down. We have given him very wet mash made of soaked rearers pellets and he has got them down as fast as and as best he can past his deformed tongue. His crop is now full to bursting -he was starving.

So what do we do now ? I'm waiting for a call back from the vet. We have Nystatin solution for Issy. Looking at it as an Engineer I would say the end of the tongue is a writeoff and needs to be amputated immediately. He then needs antifungal to save the rest. We can feed him by tube while the tongue heals -if it does. Hopefully when he is fit and healthy he will fight off the fungus long term. Will he be able to eat in the long term with half a tongue or should we despatch him now ? He's a young chap full of life and a real character already, but I want him to be happy and not suffer permanently. I'm at a loss !!
 
Oh dear, Chris, what a shame, after all you had to do to find him in the first place. Any problems with the other TNNs? I think they came from a different place, didn't they?
Can you try fortifying his mash with beaten egg, to help it go down and provide extra nourishment? Also as you say, some form of high-protein feed, maybe even chick crumb?
 
Yes we can get the stuff into him Marigold, and he wants it. We now have a tube and syringe to feed directly into the crop if necessary. He dips his face into the pot and slurps it down and I sponge him off afterwards.

Problem is his tongue. Do we cull or treat ?

Worming is a side issue at the moment of course. The hens are fine and all laying now, 3 good sized eggs a day. They came from Leeds, Caude came from Boston Lincs.
 
For what it's worth, I vote you wait for vet - if the fungal infection is treatable, he may work his own way round his feeding problem. Is the black curled bit like that due to the fungus, or will it heal/drop off itself if the fungus is killed?
We have a blackbird in the garden with a badly broken beak and he's able to pick up food in an odd but effective way & been here 18 months, so doing ok.
Hard decision and feel for you, but if he wants to live, you gotta give him a chance.
 
Chris, sorry to hear you are having a run of problems at the moment. As you probably know, I'm going to say that I would give him a chance. He will find a way around the eating problems. If it doesn't work out in the end at least you gave it a try.
 
I'd give him a good go. As long as you don't think he's suffering too much and there could be an end in sight to his problem then it's well worth continuing.
 
Well he's full of beans this morning, but not crowing. Loads of dead lice around him so that aspect is sorted. Lots of poos which could be indicative of worms. But I still need to talk to the vet about his tongue as he takes a mouthful of food and loses most of it when he moves his tongue to get into it to pull it backwards.
 
Chris, loads of poos could just be because he is actually eating now, whereas he wasn't before. May not necessarily be worms.
 
No they do look a bit symtomatic of a worm burden Sue. But I'm not doing anything until his tongue is treated and I'll have to start hastling the vet now. I'm paying and I want a rapid response !! They would expect me to rush out if they had a burst pipe.
 
Oh bother Chris what a hassle! Poor Claude :(

I wouldn't worry about worms, all sorts are probably happening in his digestive tract. He needs as much nutrition as possible to get him fighting fit to be able to deal with his infection.

I would syringe him fluids and add a good quality vitamin supplement which is water soluble. Don't go overboard on protein, a good quality rearers if he is eating it will be fine.

I did use a really good convalescent recipe once which really helped will dig it out for you.

Ask the vet for his opinion on an anti-inflammatory, this will reduce swelling and discomfort and enable him to eat. He will probably need the tip of his tongue removed but only when he is fit enough and his body is able to deal with the stress. Once he starts to recover it might not look so bad.

Everything crossed for Claude!
 
I've just told Claude that "Aunty Foxy says you've got to eat more!" He's upstairs in the study next to me at the moment having a walk round -oops, now he's along the landing. Guess he's looking for his run and his girls. Fortunately he can't fly at the moment -too weak.

We'll be throwing everything we can at him to try to get him well enough to live in France with us.

He currently weighs 900grammes. He's about 4 lb underweight !!

Vet says squirt some Nystan around his tongue twice a day. Might need the dead bit removing later.
 
Oh! No! So sorry to hear this! Poor Claude, and poor you! When I think I've got problems it seems they pale compared to yours!!
 
If it was down to me Marigold they would have the whole ground floor in Winter. They probably will in France. A deep litter system in the kitchen !

Claude has got really tame in a very short time. He's sitting on my knee now trying to eat my shirt buttons!
 
chrismahon said:
If it was down to me Marigold they would have the whole ground floor in Winter. They probably will in France. A deep litter system in the kitchen !

French peasants used to live above their livestock, didn't they? Underfloor heating? Just make sure you buy a genuine old French farmhouse and you'll be all set for the winter and can get a cow as well.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, they used to have open floor boarding to let the air upwards -and the smell! We could always build our Winter quarters above theirs in the barn.
 
Well he's eating a lot of mash made from rearers pellets soaked in water. His poos seem fine. But he keeps going cold and very pale then recovers minutes later. His right leg is being lifted often and is shaking. He keeps trying to peck at the underside but there is nothing there. Moments later he's back to normal.

In his beak the flesh at the front on the lower beak is grey and there are small grey areas all around. Looks like rotting flesh. The Nystan dribbled on the area is having no effect. It looks worse than it was. There is also what looks like a growth under the back of his comb which wasn't there on the photo I took 2 weeks ago.

Wondering if he should be on Flagyl as well as Issy ? Plus perhaps needs worming as all the feed he is eating seems to be having no effect on him ?

Just done the worst series of foamy stinky yellow poos I have ever seen !
 
Checked him carefully tonight. There are cream cankers forming under his tongue so the Nystan is having no effect. Will ring the vet and get him Flagyl.
 
One thing with canker is that it is a bugger to treat, and the Nystatin and other treatments can take a while to have an effect. Maybe mix some chopped egg into his feed, with a little cod liver oil if you have any to hand.
 
Started the Flubenvet yesterday. Will add Cod Liver Oil. Will get Flagyl today. He has no appetite this morning. It's very difficult to type when he's perched on my arm preening!
 
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