2 yr old rooster has gone psycho

[jajeanpierre]

I believe it stems from the arrogance that "we" are "higher" than "animals" whenever all we are is animals who have managed to take over the world at the expense of everything else.

Training is training, and a behavior is never presented in a vacuum. There is always a payoff to the one presenting the behavior or they wouldn't continue to do the behavior. Sometimes that payoff is not obvious but it is always there. It might be wanting the adrenaline rush from a fit of rage. Or, it might be an instinctual behavior. It try not to get into the "whys," instead concentrating on the things that will alter that behavior. If you see a behavior enough and learn how to change it, your observations might unlock the secret of the "why."

In response to 6of6chicks, yes, operant conditioning works with birds, mammals, worms and even bacteria.

Birds expressing themselves are not as obvious to us humans as a domesticated dog is. Birds are not really domesticated--birds don't live and interact with humans the way a dog will. Most pet parrots you can buy in a pet store are one or two generations removed from the wild. They don't have the facial structure to be as expressive as a dog or a person. I can read a parrot pretty accurately, but I am not as good at understanding the body language of a chicken. When you are reading the body language of a parrot, you are looking at the feathers, the eyes and the stance. A parrot with slicked feathers, tight to their body is on alert. A relaxed parrot's feathers will be loose and often their beak is obscured by the loose feathers on their face. A stressed/excited parrot will stand high on their legs, while a relaxed parrot will be low. An excited parrots eyes will pin, which means their pupils will expand and contract. Never ever put any of your body parts near a parrot with pinning eyes, slicked feathers and standing tall! I suspect chickens would exhibit the same body language, but I haven't studied them.

 

[Viollettt]

Well, I've read all I could find here on lethargic roos who are not eating, ..and all of them ended up dying. Now I am really worried. There is no chicken vet around here either, not even a regular vet on a Sunday, ..so I guess I will go to the feed store and see if they have anything to suggest. My poor boy. I simply have no idea what is going on here..

Have you looked into worming your chickens? Try to do a search for another poster around here named dawg53 and worming. Just as a side note: I would never listen to anything anyone says at a feed store. In my experience they usually give nothing but dangerous information. Sorry to anyone that has or works at a feed store that actually does know chickens.

Editing to give this link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/895886/help-wormy-chicken-s#post_13634160

And this info: I would give him some vitamins also (Baby Poly-vi-sol with NO iron is good in a pinch) up to 3 drops a day. VetRX is also good for what ails them. I follow the directions in the package.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Sorry to (temporarily) change the subject, but I am now very worried about my roo and am in dire need of advice. I've asked about the red patch and broken feathers on his hind end before on this site, yet figured since so many experienced people are on this thread, I would ask here!
TODAY, my roo has been very lethargic and not eating. I am not sure if the redness and broken feathers, (which I've seen for a couple of months now..) are a part of this or not! I've checked for lice and mites, yet still do not see any. He does however, have flaky, white patches in this area as well which I have not noticed before.. but they do not look like eggs of mice or lice, just patches of (Im guessing) dead skin that flake off.
Nevertheless, he is obviously not feeling well AT ALL today, ..and I'm not sure what to do to help him. His combs and wattles are fine, so is his breathing. Anyone have some advice?? Please?

You don't need to apologise , you are the OP after all.
I would recommend that you post in the emergencies/cures....... Section of this site.
A pic of your roo would help with diagnosis and a description of poop and food that you are currently feeding will help.
Worming would be my first action but if he is flaking skin a pic is important .

Edited by staff

 

[Ganjaroo]

Thanks to the 3 of you who didn't ignore my plea for help. The reason I didn't post in 'emergencies' is all ask for pics, and I don't have a camera which will upload pics at the moment. I also asked about worming in an earlier thread, ..and was told it's not a good idea if my roo was showing no signs of worms, ..which he wasn't, ..so I didn't. I read every thread I could find on lethargic roo, .,roo not eating..but no solution there either.
THEN, I went to the feed store, they told me to put electrolytes in him, and gave me Pick No More, to put on his red patch of skin. Now, I don't know if this skin issue is even related to what happened today, and by the time I got the advice to get the wormer, everything was closed and I can't get any meds or anything until tomorrow.

I chose to post it HERE, thinking maybe his sudden aggression last week has something to do with illness coming on, and hoping someone would advise me. I just don't know. He was fine yesterday, then.. this.

I've also been talking to TwoCrows, and she has given me some great advice on what to do for him as well.

I'm now just hoping that my boy makes it through the night.

Thanks again to those who answered me. I appreciate it more than I can tell you. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thanks to the 3 of you who didn't ignore my plea for help. The reason I didn't post in 'emergencies' is all ask for pics, and I don't have a camera which will upload pics at the moment. I also asked about worming in an earlier thread, ..and was told it's not a good idea if my roo was showing no signs of worms, ..which he wasn't, ..so I didn't. I read every thread I could find on lethargic roo, .,roo not eating..but no solution there either.
THEN, I went to the feed store, they told me to put electrolytes in him, and gave me Pick No More, to put on his red patch of skin. Now, I don't know if this skin issue is even related to what happened today, and by the time I got the advice to get the wormer, everything was closed and I can't get any meds or anything until tomorrow.

I chose to post it HERE, thinking maybe his sudden aggression last week has something to do with illness coming on, and hoping someone would advise me. I just don't know. He was fine yesterday, then.. this.

I've also been talking to TwoCrows, and she has given me some great advice on what to do for him as well.

I'm now just hoping that my boy makes it through the night.

Thanks again to those who answered me. I appreciate it more than I can tell you. I'll keep you posted.

I understand . In the absence of a pic of his poop , have a look at this chart and see if you can make any comparisons.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

The chicken chick has some very helpful information .
This one explains how vitamin deficiency effects birds.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html

 

[lularat]

Sorry to hear that your roo is sick. When I read about him, I was thinking worms too. Mites can also make your rooster exhibit these symptoms as well. I know you said you have checked him, but may want to take another peek. Lice can make a chicken anemic and they can exhibit symptoms of lethargy, pale combs, feather loss, reddened skin, and weight loss. I hope your roo feels better soon.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Sorry to hear that your roo is sick. When I read about him, I was thinking worms too. Mites can also make your rooster exhibit these symptoms as well. I know you said you have checked him, but may want to take another peek.  Lice can make a chicken anemic and  they can exhibit symptoms of lethargy, pale combs, feather loss, reddened skin, and weight loss. I hope your roo feels better soon. 

X2 and here is a link.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

 

[Ganjaroo]

Quote: Thanks ladies. ..and actually I did read through the chicken chick links weeks ago. I still see no lice, and my hens are fine. His comb is fine as well, and no weight loss. Thankfully, he made it thru the night and even crowed this morning! Still trying to figure out which meds to give him, and why he was so lethargic yesterday. He barely moved all day long, and wouldn't even go in with the girls at dusk, ..just lay there in the grass until I went out to get him. A friend thinks he should be treated for cocci, yet he has no bad diarrhea, and no blood in it. I'm also told that worms would cause a pale comb, but does it ALWAYS? I just don't know which to treat him for. I'm going to repost this elsewhere, list his symptoms, and hope someone can help without pics of this skin issue on his rear. I can't even find an online pic that looks similar. ..and as I said, I'm not sure that these two issues are even related. Anyway, thanks again for your help. I'm just so happy he's still alive! He's not back to normal, but so far, he seems much better than he was yesterday.

 

[jody1]

Does anyone know if its normal for a rooster to tear a hens comb when mating...my hens are mangled!

 

[dstinett]

My experience with aggressive roosters has taught me that they are like an abusive man. If they hit you once, they will do it again and it gets worse each time.