young roo passed out after day on coop

[kefiren]

A very strange story. I have a 14 wk rooster with a pointy head. So there is that. He may be a bit off brain-wise to start. Last night I found him outside the coop and decided that there must be fighting between him and the other cockerel. So, I put him in a different coop with a few older girls. There are three coops in all, and enough girls to go around so I figured they would figure all this out and have their own harems or whatever. He might have had a stressful night. I let them all free range in the morn. About noon, I saw the other baby roo chasing Pointy-head. Pointy-head took refuge on the peak of a coop. And there Pointy-head stayed all the long day. I wish I had intervened, but I wasn't thinking about the fact that Pointy-head might not make the best decisions. At dusk I found him on the ground half dead, looking as if he finally passed out and fell.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds stress related. You shouldn't just add birds to another pen or flock without a slow introduction.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you tried to revive him with electolytes in water? Chicken electrolytes, Pedialyte, or even Gatorade can be given orally, held up to the beak with a cup or large spoon, or dripped onto his beak a little at a time. Cooling the legs in tepid water can also help if he was suffering from heat stroke or dehydration. Young cockerels are so goofy, and they can be run around by other roosters and hens as well. I hope you can help him to survive.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Hahaha.... sorry but I had to laugh, I found it funny. Anyway, hope Pointy-head survive, he seems like a fun chicken to have around.

 

[Eggcessive]

Poor guy. Glad he has survived. It is pretty stressful to go into a new flock by themselves.

 

[kefiren]

Well, all the chickens free range together, it isn't like he hadn't seen the old biddies before. They young ones ARE afraid of them though. But that night when he had been run out of the chick pen, he actually seemed to be weighing his options and he chose the old biddies pen. He was lingering by their door. I just stuffed him in, because you can't linger outside at night, too many predators. He isn't a small baby, he is almost fully grown. I was hoping the old biddies could become his harem, and their coop his coop.

He is in the same state as yesterday, I suspect he may have a broken neck. Poor Pointy Head.

 

[kefiren]

thanks for the info regarding hydration!

 

[Eggcessive]

So what does he look like this morning? Maybe he did injure himself. Can he stand or move? Is his neck twisted?

 

[kefiren]

yeah his neck seems to have no strength. He is in a coop all by himself and semi concious and rolling around now and then

 

[sourland]

Sounds like time to accept responsibility and cull him to end his misery.