Depressed Rooster

[peasant_girl]

Our 4-year-old Brahma rooster got sick and we kept him alone in the barn for a month. He had a respiratory infection and mites, which have been gone for a while and he’s put on weight.

He was eating and drinking normally and started crowing in the mornings, so we put him back with our flock. Our silkie rooster attacked him after a few minutes and instead of fighting he ran and hid. He used to be the alpha.

So the last two days he’s just sitting around kind of hiding and won’t go in the coop by himself at night. He won’t interact with the hens. He seems depressed. I’m not sure what to do.

 

[nuthatched]

Do you do a slow introduction?
How did you treat his issues?

 

[peasant_girl]

How would I do a slow introduction?

I treated him with Tylan for the respiratory infection and Ivermectin for the mites. A vitamin drench, electrolytes, lots of eggs, and his normal food.

 

[Littlebeanacres]

I apologize that this isn't a super helpful reply, but I'm going through a very similar situation with my Speckled Sussex rooster. I had him inside for about a week treating him for sour crop. He's been back outside for a few days now and wants nothing to do with the hens. We have a bantam rooster that took over the alpha role and my big guy totally backed down to him when I reintroduced them. I separated them to give my big guy a little time alone with the hens, but still he's keeping to himself either in the coop or inside the covered run. He used to be such a wonderful and caring protector of my girls. He just seems depressed and out of sorts. Before all of this, I had found some Speckled Sussex feathers in my yard and thought they belonged to my SS hen that likes to wander, but now I'm wondering if he got out and had an altercation with another animal that's left him traumatized...