Unwell rooster - multiple symptoms

[Vanessa373]

Hi All,

I’m still quite new to backyard chickens so I’m hoping someone can help me to understand what may be wrong with my rooster.

We just returned from 3 weeks holiday & he’s looking very dishevelled. He’s missing a lot of feathers from his chest/neck, his comb has flopped over & the tips are turning grey/black & his crow sounds weaker. His behaviour seems normal otherwise when we observe him. He’s in with 1 other rooster (a very placid & small Araucana that steers clear of him) & 13 hens. None of the others seem to have any symptoms & all seem healthy & well. He’s just over 12 months old.

I’ll try to get some photos today.

Thanks in advance for any ideas/advice.

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures would help. How cold is it there? Are they inside a coop at night? How old is he, and has he molted this year? Is he eating and drinking? Could he have run out of water? Was someone feeding, watering, and letting them out each day? You may want to give him some Poultry NutriDrench 2-3 ml daily for a few days.

 

[Vanessa373]

Pictures would help. How cold is it there? Are they inside a coop at night? How old is he, and has he molted this year? Is he eating and drinking? Could he have run out of water? Was someone feeding, watering, and letting them out each day? You may want to give him some Poultry NutriDrench 2-3 ml daily for a few days.

We’re on the mid north coast of Australia so it’s summer, but mild, minimum temps around 15’c, max around 25’c.

None of the hens or roosters molted this year, we’ve had very unusual temperatures.

He’s had plenty of access to water. We had a housesitter looking after the animals while we were away.

He’s eating and drinking fine. They’re inside a coop at night and free range during the day. Here’s a photo.

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh yes, he looks like he is molting, and some others are beginning to show it as well. Some extra protein would not hurt, and scrambled eggs or a can of tuna shared for the whole gang might help.