[suziequeue]

My old cockerel who is a real gent seems to be unable to lift his head off the ground this morning. The rest of the flock seem well and they have just been in their run for the past few days as we have had a pretty devastating fox attack.


So whereas before we had a lot of hens and two cockerels and they were free ranging before - we are now down to ten hens and two adult cockerels stuck in their pen.


I suspect the cockerels have been fighting and the old gent has come off worst although I can't find any obvious signs of injury. He didn't resist me picking him up and doesn't seem uncomfortable or tender anywhere around his neck and shoulders. There's no broken skin or blood. Crop was empty


I put some corn in front of him and he is obviously hungry but my concern now is - he's going to need water. Observing chickens drink - they seem to scoop up the water and then extend their necks to swallow it down so how do I syringe some water into him safely?

[Marches Farmer]

Do you have an eye dropper? If so get someone to extend his neck at about a 45 degree angle and just drop the water into his beak a few drops at a time and see how he responds.  He may be suffering from a combination of age, unseen injury and shock, so maybe not a particularly promising outlook.

[nutterly_uts]

A sloppy mash might help ?

[Eve]

Ask a pharmacy in the morning for a pipette? Or yes, watery mash. Hope he pulls through.

[suziequeue]

I had a little 5ml syringe and managed to get 10ml down him. i'll go back in an hour and do another little bit. not sure how much a mature rooster drinks in a day.


I agree - not a great outlook really but I am going to give him 24hrs to see if it is perhaps a temporary thing but if he doesn't show signs of improvement then I'll put him out of his misery .


A shame - we've had him three or four years and he's always been a gent I suspect his successor isn't so accommodating but at least he has never attacked us…….

[chrismahon]

He'll need at least 50mL a day Suziequeue, or more if his crop will take it. We give by syringe with their neck upright so the water runs down and away from the airways in the upper beak and under the tongue. Don't worry so much about eating at this stage, but it will help to get some soft balls of ground pellets down his neck as well to just feed the gut flora and keep them alive. Dehydration is the biggest problem so the water is very important.

[hughesy]

Am I the only one who thinks you should be putting this bird out of it's misery?

[devonlady]

If he is old then I too would say Nunc Dimitis.

[suziequeue]

Well - he's picking up today. Certainly not off his food and proving easy to give the water to so we shall see. 

[chrismahon]

If he is eating dried food you will have to increase the amount of water intake considerably Suziequeue. Best try him on a wet mash and then give extra water. Otherwise his crop may impact.

[suziequeue]

He took a turn for the worse and we despatched him. 


Oh well - I learnt how to give water to a chicken

[Eve]

Sorry to hear that

[devonlady]

  You can only do your best.

[suziequeue]

Yes - he will go to the owls this evening.