HELP! ROOSTER IS LIMPING!

All those things you mentioned could cause him to limp, and then some. Check for scaley leg mites.
If he has those, he'll have to get used to being handled, because they won't go away on their own.
He might have pulled something, and again he'll need rest to heal it. You could try to get him to eat a baby aspirin in a treat a few times a day, but chances are he'll just give it to a hen. If it's not a bad limp, you could just leave it and see how he does, but we try to treat them, because they do need to be able to run in our free range flock.

You are right; he is chivalrous and would give the aspirin in-a-treat to a hen. I had wondered about scaly leg mites, but I don't think he has those. He seems hungry and his eyes are bright, but I'd hate to miss something. I'm thinking I could maybe give it a few days, to see whether he recovers, keeping a close eye on things all the while. I wish I could feel his leg to see whether it is hot.

I just went out to feed him some lettuce... He ate it very well and then proceeded to mate with a hen, even though he still has the limp. I guess that mating urge must be very strong in roosters. I hope it is a good sign that he feels well enough to mate even though his leg is impaired?

I don't know-- his legs DO look awfully scaly and icky. I wonder whether that is it. I don't know how in the world I could treat him for those. I love him, but he is a beast.

Can scaly leg mites kill him?

Well, they will just get worse and worse. They can cause a lot of problems, he will get progressively lamer, they can lose toes because of the mites.
You gotta do something if they are that bad, and it sounds like that's what's causing the lameness. there's a whole thread on here about scaly leg mites.
There are many things you can use to treat, but whatever you use, it takes a few weeks before they are well enough to quit treatment, and before they quit limpimg.

Usually, though, once you've handled a tough one a few times, they do learn you're not going to kill them, and they're not so hard to handle. Most people use oil, or vaseline, to coat the legs and feet. These smother the mites. You can also do periodic soaks in ACV or Epsom Salts and warm water, to help kill the mites and reduce pain and inflammation. And we give ours baby aspirin twice a day and also vitamins. I've read there's also a spray you can buy to treat the mites...I think it's available in feed stores. That might be easier for you, but you would still have to be able to get the stuff on the bottom of his feet. When we have one with scaly leg mites, we put them in a hospital pen, because it is easier to treat, and also they're not running around and jumping on their sore legs and feet. Read the threads on here about scaly leg mites. You'll see it's a very common problem, and you can decide which treatment is best for you. We've been using Castor oil, because it has it's own anti inflammatory properties, and you don't have to apply it as often, only once a week or so if they're bad. But it's still just taking forever for our roo to get over his. He's been in hospital three weeks, but he can't go out til he can get around well, as he will now face the problem of regaining his status in the pecking order when he does go out. I don't know if you have multiple roos, but that's something else to consider, as the others will pick on him when they discover he's having problems.

Here's some more information:
Scaly Leg Mites - Need Best / Easiest / Quickest Solution - Scaley
started by Nifty-Chicken (2/18/08 at 1:38pm)
123…55
G

Thanks for the info. What would 3 weeks in a hospital for a rooter cost?

I called the vet. The cost is about $350.00 for 3 weeks in the hospital. Worth every penny--- not having to do my rooster's legs myself. What a nightmare!