Anything wrong with this rooster?

[AmyJane725]

Oh God. Are they ok? I hate to hijack your thread, but it's been in the high 70s in the garage where my babies are currently and I've been stressing about them getting too hot. It's supposed to be 93 tomorrow, which is very hot where I live. I'm so afraid they're gonna get heat stroke or something.

Do you do anything special to keep yours cool?

I saw the white on the tips, but none as far as I could see on the giant spot in the middle. Does he have any other symptoms you've noticed other than the feather loss?

 

[BorregoMike]

This is SoCal desert and we usually hit 120 at least once each summer but other people around here have chickens. A typical day in summer is 102 - 112. I have misters and they run five minutes every half hour. At first the mist scared the heck out of them but now they know it is cooler so they go into the mister area when it is on. The mist also makes the sand wet, and they dig into that. I’ve put screen cloth on the run so they always have big areas in the shade. I also have a big plastic tray that I put water in. Some will walk around in that. So far they do not like this first wave of heat but they are doing OK. My guess, if they were asked, is that they'd prefer the coop and run to the freezer

 

[AmyJane725]

This is SoCal desert and we usually hit 120 at least once each summer but other people around here have chickens. A typical day in summer is 102 - 112. I have misters and they run five minutes every half hour. At first the mist scared the heck out of them but now they know it is cooler so they go into the mister area when it is on. The mist also makes the sand wet, and they dig into that. I’ve put screen cloth on the run so they always have big areas in the shade. I also have a big plastic tray that I put water in. Some will walk around in that. So far they do not like this first wave of heat but they are doing OK. My guess, if they were asked, is that they'd prefer the coop and run to the freezer

Most likely, lol.
Well, if yours are surviving temps like that I can probably calm down. It's just stressful because they're going to be going fully outside this weekend. Used to be in the house (68 degrees), now they're in the garage (77+) degrees, and to the outdoors will be even hotter. It'll still be nothing compared to yours though. I'm just a worrier

Thanks for all the good tips on keeping them cool. I appreciate it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Several of my hens have this same thing on the back of the neck but I figured it was caused by this guy, grabbing by the back of the neck when he mates. I was surprised a couple days ago to see the rooster has the same thing. It looks to me like feather have been plucked out but I've never seen one of the hens bold enough to do this to him. He, and the hens, are not loosing feathers anywhere else.

The other thing is the black on his comb. He won't let me pick him up so I can't look closely but this shot shows it pretty well.

My birds are all 8 months old and a first time with chickens so I figured I would ask the community here what is going on.

It was red, normal red. He had a couple points of the comb that went totally black but they are a bit better now. You can see second and third points from the back that are still a little black.

He's the only cockerel that you have?
How is your housing, plenty of roosting space at night?
Can you grab him up at night when he's roosting so you can get a better look at him?
Look through his feathers for lice/mites.
The black on the comb, to me, looks like injury. You mention that the pullets aren't bold enough to do that to him, well...just about any chicken comb is fair game during roosting time. Observe them then, it can be interesting to see the drama, the feather pulling/picking, comb twisting.

Observe you pullets with him during the day as well. Watch. He probably has 1-2 girls that follow him around or stay near. He likely is standing still and letting them pick at that comb some. A small nick/cut can turn quite large in a short period of time if they are picking at that. The white looks like it's just healing, that's the way it does.

You can try Blu Kote on the comb, but something like Pine Tar may be better if you see the girls picking at that. I had one rooster, they just would not leave it alone and he would stand there and let them pick at his comb until it bled. (he was getting attention) Nothing I tried worked until I separated him and let it heal.

Now the feather loss on the back of the neck is a bit more interesting. You got a picture of all of him so we can see his feathers? The girls too? I see some broken, some new growth coming in, but also seem some that look like they are nipped. Could be the pullets are doing that too but as mentioned, look him and the girls over for lice/mites.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with @Wyorp Rock. The black on the comb is damage from either pecking or perhaps injurying it on fencing or something else. The feather loss on the neck looks like the hens are picking out feathers. Look at overcrowding, being too hot, boredom, too little protein as possible causes, but with chickens I can always find one chicken who will stand and let another pick their feathers.

 

[BorregoMike]

With a little time having passed, the black on the comb is healing, getting more healthy looking. All of my Black New Jersey Giants now have the feather loose around the neck. I lost one chicken last week due to heat (115) and I decided to thin them out a bit, so 8 have moved to the freezer. I have to say the others seem more relaxed, and the roo seems to be crowing less too. I think they “on paper” have all the room they need inside and out but our super hot temps change that math and the coop just gets too hot.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

With a little time having passed, the black on the comb is healing, getting more healthy looking. All of my Black New Jersey Giants now have the feather loose around the neck. I lost one chicken last week due to heat (115) and I decided to thin them out a bit, so 8 have moved to the freezer. I have to say the others seem more relaxed, and the roo seems to be crowing less too. I think they “on paper” have all the room they need inside and out but our super hot temps change that math and the coop just gets too hot.

I'm glad to hear it's starting to heal.
Sorry to hear you lost one though. Heat is a chicken killer for sure.
I think you made a wise and practical decision to reduce numbers. I agree, on paper something can look really good, it's not until it's put into practice whether you know if it's going to work or not.