Something is wrong with my rooster…*he died* :(

And I’m at a total loss as to what it could be.

Last night after going into the lockup pen at 5pm, I noticed he was standing with his head down low and eyes closed while the girls ran around him scratching and doing normal chicken stuff. I thought it was kind of weird, considering he’s usually active and talking to them. Later when everyone was roosting, I plucked him off and checked him over. His crop was squishy, like it was mainly full of liquid. His poop was also quite watery and a tad greenish. No bugs of any kind. Comb/wattles were nice and red. I returned him to the roost for the night.

This morning he was on the floor with the girls like normal, waiting to be let out into the run. BUT the weird thing is he didn’t crow and he always crows when first let out; it’s like his thing and he’s quite proud. Ok, this does sound a bit silly, but sometimes you just get that feeling and know something is off. I’m getting this feeling a plenty. Also, his comb seems paler, definitely not as bright today. And another thing, I haven’t heard him make a SINGLE noise this morning, which is strange in itself. He is a very vocal boy, especially to the ladies. He did eat some grass and peck at the treat dish, but not with his usual enthusiasm. It’s almost like he’s depressed….but how could that be when he’s the only rooster with 8 lovely hens all to himself? I just don’t get it.

Please advice...I don't want to lose this fella!

He might just be feeling a bit under the weather. You might want to ad some vitamins to their water or Apple Cider Vinegar.

Hope he feels better soon.

Thanks PC. I hope you're right. I already add ACV to their waterer, but I'll try giving him a shot of infant vitamins and see if that helps any.

I also started thinking, maybe he's just feeling rundown from having to keep up with the hens. I'm pretty certain he's an older guy...how to you tell anyway? His spurs were thick and a good 2 inches before I blunted them off.

If your roo's crop still feels squishy, is there any odour? If his crop feels better and no odor, I would just do as you are doing now. Continue with the vitamins and keep an eye on those poops. Poops are the calling card when something is wrong.

Also continue to notice his crows. I've had it happen to a couple of roos where their crows changed. One started to get a rasp to his crow and he developed a respirator problem which thankfully my vet was able to cure. The other roo wasn't so lucky.

After a couple of days if your roo is back to acting normal then you're probably okay. All the best

My rooster is now dead...and I'm the one who killed him.

I am 99% certain he had sour crop. (thanks toy barons for pointing out the odour) Crop was squishy and bloated, he was burping and there was a rotten smell. I researched what to do and was careful to only massage downward, and everything seemed to be ok. He puked up alot of nasty liquid and a few strands of grass...it must have been the grass. My girls are used to eating grass, but apparently he was not. I think he would have recovered, had I not tried to get him to throw up one last time. He started to choke and then died in my arms...I'm sitting here crying, it was so awful, my poor boy. Why, oh why did I push it?!

Oh no, don't blame yourself, he could have been too far gone and was going to die any way. We always put so much onto ourselves, don't take it so hard. (((hugs))))) Guess after you have had birds for so long it is just part of the process. Hate, hate, hate it when something dies, but honestly you tried your hardest to save him. We can only do so much.

Awww I am so sorry

I agree with chickeesmom, you can't blame yourself,you did everything you could. Taking action is better than just watching it suffer. I wouldn't have had any idea of what to do.

I'm so sorry but don't blame yourself.

My rooster finally died today as well. At first I thought it was cholera but now it may have been an impacted crop too. There was no smell though.

I syringed mineral oil and very very gently tried to massage this morning. But I think he had just lost too much weight.

I know it doesn't help but you've learned something from him. So sorry.

Thanks for the kind words. I’m feeling better this morning. I just get so attached to all my critters and it’s devastating when something goes wrong. Especially when it’s something that may have been preventable had I not jumped the gun and tried what I’ve come to believe is a last resort method because of the risk of aspiration. Talk about a harsh lesson to learn.

Anyway, I’ve decided to save the EE eggs laid yesterday and today and will store them in our basement. I’m going to try setting them along with the Ameraucana eggs I will be getting soon. I know it’s a long shot since they won’t be going in the bator until mid-June, but the thought of hatching a few of Big Red’s babies makes me smile.

I'm sorry about your rooster Giddyup. I don't think mine had much more in him either. He weakened so fast. Sour crop is nasty really. Another valuable thing I've learned is to trust my gut instinct. I knew something was wrong, and I was right.

Sorry to hear about your rooster...it is so hard especially when you nurse them or try to...it makes you feel so bad... I remember dipping beaks of little shipped sebright chicks thinking it would help them when in fact I think they were so weak, I probably drowned them instead...

and yes...learning to trust your instinct is a good thing to learn..when you know them like we do you are the first to spot when they are feeling "off"

Thanks miry. Those sebright chicks must have been so tiny. Sorry you lost them.

It's nice to be able to share with other poultry enthusiasts who understand that my chickens are not just eggs/meat to me. They are my pets and bring alot of joy into my life. Ok, I'm going to stop the cheesefest now, lol...(even though it's true!)

Sorry to hear about your roo.
It's always hard to go through. I know when my roo Sul started to loose his crow and began rasping, I tried everything I could think of to get him well. Just when it seemed he was getting better, he went south and I felt I had no choice put to cull him. I sat with him on my kitchen floor and cried because I felt like I failed him.

A year later the same thing started to happen to another roo I had. He started to rasp and again I tried what I could. I took what I learned from Sul, applied it to Palmer, only this time I knew that if he didn't get well within 3 days, he wouldn't like make it. By the 2nd day, I made the choice to take him to a poultry vet which thankfully I have. A year later Palmer is fine and well.

Each loss, though sad, is a learning experience. You take with it and the next time you know better what to do.

One of my dearest pets was a red EE rooster that was born with a twisted leg. His name was Mr Red I hope you have success hatch your Big Red's eggs.

Thanks toybarons. I’m sorry you lost Sul, but it's great to hear Palmer recovered and continues to thrive today. I’m a sucker for happy endings.

Big Red was a red EE too. He was the sweetest rooster I’ve ever owned.

Yup, my Mr Red was a red EE roo. We bought him thinking he was a she. Then when we got her home, we notice pne leg was dragging on the ground. On closer examination, we saw that the leg was twisted. Call the seller and the seller would have exchange her but we knew she would end up in pot. So we thought we would keep her for eggs.
After several months, she became a him. He was so beautiful and such a beautiful red.
Then one day my husband found him all bloody and torn up. Because of his bad leg he couldn't properly mount the hens so he would grap them and they would freak. Seems the hens took more than an offence cause we found a couple of them with his blood on them. I took Mr Red in the house, he healed and became one of the sweetest roos I ever owned. He would curl up on my lap and go to sleep. Later on another older EE hen picked him as hers so he had a mate. She never minded his attempts at mate with her, and she was with him by his side when a stroke took him Christmas Day. We buried him in our cemetery under a beautiful roo statue.

Isn’t it amazing how much some critters can touch your heart. Thank you for sharing. *sniff*