Silkie rooster very lethargic and breathing heavily

[bloo74]

Hi all

My silkie rooster has always been the slower of the flock. He is big and strong looking but his comb has always been lighter than the other roosters as well (unsure if that means anything). He has always kept away from the other roosters who roam about together with the hens and is a bit of a loner.

About a week ago he started breathing heavily and he stopped eating as much. He eats a very small amount of food every day. Even foods that others usually love.

I took him to the vets 3 days ago and she has given him antibiotics, twice a day but said is unsure what he could have. He is looking poorly and sad and I don't really know what is best, to keep trying and continue to force feed water and give him meds or to just put him out of his misery (i don't know how to do it myself, I usually take them to the vets for this).

When do you know you should just let them go? I have no idea how long I should give him.
It's currently quite cold and windy outside, he is under the bushes standing up, and pretty much does not move from there unless we get closer.

They have a huge space to roam and eat anything and everything they find... I wonder if he ate something bad or if its just a fungus or virus he got (I took a while to change the coop, about 2 weeks and the coop had a bit of mould on their poo, they sleep there safe and sound every night but it could have been bad for his lungs...).

Any ideas? Comments on what you would do?

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Bloo74. Sorry to hear about your cockerel. Based on what you have said about mould on the poo, a respiratory infection is a possibility. The antibiotics should clear that up and you have eliminated the source. But the pale comb is a concern. There is a possibility that his heart or lungs or some other organ hasn't developed properly. This is a genetic issue and nothing you can do about it. It does happen but usually manifests much at a younger age. I presume his crop is OK, not mushy or very hard and not going down overnight and that what little poo he does is normal. Antibiotics turn the poo green as does infection so that would be nothing to worry about. Presume he has been wormed with Flubenvet, because a worm burden can weaken him.

I would give the chap a chance. If he isn't eating you could feed him crushed rearer pellets softened in water and rolled into balls. At some stage he will either turn round or go downhill completely. We have often resorted to feeding and surprisingly some do just recover for no apparent reason. But him being in the cold and wind isn't helping matters and I would get him inside or into a better protected environment. Good luck.

 

[bloo74]

Thank you so much Chris, I have brought him inside, to a much warmer area, he is still just as he was outside, standing up and not eating, his poo looks like bird poo, green/white and liquid.
I am unsure how to identify if his crop is mushy, it feels sort of empty
Let's see how he goes!

 

[chrismahon]

His poo will contain liquid simply because he isn't eating Bloo74. If his crop is empty there isn't a problem there -it may just be the respiratory issue, so I wait to see how he gets on.