Should I take my rooster to the vet?

Hi all! I have a rooster who has not been feeling the greatest. A week ago, we caught on our camera that my rooster was fighting with a feral rooster through his cage. His whole foot was bruised, so we isolated him. We also found out that he had vent gleet around that time, to which we gave him an Epsom salt bath and applied antifungal cream. He is recovering considerably! He also has been suffering from an ear canker which we have been cleaning out and also been treating with Neosporin. Today, I found out that he had mites and started applying food-grade DE. But the most concerning part is that I saw a yellow (but not smelly) substance in his mouth. Could this be a growth of a newly formed canker?

We had a canker scare 4 months ago since he also had yellow substances in his mouth (but it was way worse before). We took him to the vet and it was ruled out that it wasn't a canker. We went home confused but it did go away.
Our hens seem to be acting perfectly fine, laying eggs consistently, comb and wattle are bright red and clear from mites. My rooster's behavior has also shifted, he is not that active and I find him constantly sitting down( I figured it's because of his bruised feet). Fortunately, he is still drinking and eating

I'm worried that his health is declining.

If you're worried about him, you should definitely take him to the vet. I see you're from Hawaii as well. Do you have a vet that you visit normally? If not, try and find one that treats chickens, because not all vets do.

I hope that he gets better soon!

cfonts said:

If you're worried about him, you should definitely take him to the vet. I see you're from Hawaii as well. Do you have a vet that you visit normally? If not, try and find one that treats chickens, because not all vets do.

I hope that he gets better soon!

Click to expand...

There is a vet I know of, but not always readily available. I'm not too fond of the idea of the check-up fee nearing $150 so that's why I've been hesitant. But if his problems do persist for a few days, we plan on taking him to one.

cfonts said:

If you're worried about him, you should definitely take him to the vet. I see you're from Hawaii as well. Do you have a vet that you visit normally? If not, try and find one that treats chickens, because not all vets do.

I hope that he gets better soon!

Click to expand...

Ahh I see you're from Hawaii as well, I am from Oahu! I've heard stories that chickens practically own the place in Kauai

I can't answer all your questions, but I can tell you the DE won't cure the mites. Treat them with Permethrin powder or spray, and also treat the coop and other chickens as well. Good luck!

Queenpython said:

There is a vet I know of, but not always readily available. I'm not too fond of the idea of the check-up fee nearing $150 so that's why I've been hesitant. But if his problems do persist for a few days, we plan on taking him to one.

Click to expand...

I can totally understand not wanting to jump the gun and bringing him to the vet when you can possibly treat him on your own. There's a lot of very knowledgeable people here on BYC that may be able to offer you advice! I hope that your rooster gets better soon!

Queenpython said:

Ahh I see you're from Hawaii as well, I am from Oahu! I've heard stories that chickens practically own the place in Kauai

Click to expand...

Haha, yes! The chickens definitely own Kauai. The same way that my chickens Kiko & Gizmo own my heart