# Thor not acting right



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I went to close everyone up tonight and my roo is standing there, won't move, and mouth breathing or gasping. I picked him up and can't find anything wrong except his crop was empty. He's the one I treated for a broken leg.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Breed? If not a Silkie what color is his comb?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

This is my blue Jersey Giant. Still looking pokey this morning with his mouth open. When his time comes he may be a good candidate for a backyard necropsy.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Has he been eating/drinking normally? Capillary worms?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I'll worm him. But when he drinks, it appears that the water ends up on the ground. He was never fond of me but he follows me around. Today he kept shaking his head, so tomorrow I'm going to check his orafices and slide a tube down his throat to see if he has a blockage, ears, nostrils, etc. If I can't find anything, I'm thinking about a few daily shots of Tylan. He's still open mouth breathing/gasping.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Tylan is for respiratory diseases as you know. Open mouth breathing/gasping, head shaking, not swallowing water; something lodged in his windpipe or esophagus, capillary worms, crop or gizzard issue, respiratory disease of some sort but there should be other symptoms. Those are the possibilities I can think of.
Other possibilities but not likely would be air sac mites, ear mites, gapeworm. You'd also see him scratching his head or neck.

I've seen my hens shake their heads often recently. Closer inspection I saw tiny gnats flying around their heads bugging them. The gnats were the cause of the head shaking, there wasnt any gasping though.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Okay, thanks, Jim.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I started him one Tylan injectable and Sulfadimethoxine injectable , one in each thigh. I am tub feeding him but not much. If this doesn't do it, I would suspect Aspergillosis. 

I recently read this necropsy of an adult bird that died from overwhelming sepsis. The set up was worms , cocci and e. coli,and other bacteria, and Marek's tumors covering the inside lung walls, the cranial nerve and some other nerve in the head or neck. The lab person said if not killed by sepsis, Marek's would have killed him. IMO I imagine that worm damage allowed a free flow of bacteria in, including cocci. And Immunosuppression secondary to Marek's as well. 

It always pays to do necropsies, especially to keep tabs on what killed one chicken may be prevented in the future.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I forgot about the Marek's you've been dealing with.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I'm doing all I can. His comb is red/pink and very dry.
No esophageal blockages, ears clean, tongue very pale, mouth breathing. No bugs. 
A week ago I was laying in bed and heard a crow sound from hell. It must have been him. He's 5 years old.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

It doesnt seem to be a heart/heart valve issue. Has it been hot where you live?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

It's been 80's. But no one is panting. I don't think it's cardiac either. If it's not bacterial, I think most likely it's aspergillosis. Most immune compromised people get it. It's common in chickens. My first sent necropsy had it, and was never symptomatic. Funny tho. This rooster has never been in a coop or anything other than a pen at night. 

This fungus also gets very prolific in coops that use the deep bedding plan.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

So Thor is breathing faster, open mouth. He has not eaten or pooped. I guess it's time to be humane. Gosh I hate doing this, especially the decision part.


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