Can't figure out what's wrong...

[creative14215]

I have a silkie roo, about 7 mo old. I recently noticed he was limping. I cleaned his feet up and didn't notice anything wrong. I have noticed a yellowish coating on his feet that doesn't wash off (at first I thought it was crusty dust from the wood chips, its that color, but after washing it didn't come off. I looked at pics of scaly chicken foot and it's not like that at all, more like a thin coating. I kept him indoors to watch him a few days. He seemed to be walking less but ok, no limp. He just doesn't seem himself, not going on the roost (usually does each night), he doesn't crow much to begin with but I haven't heard him do it at all. He seems to be eating and drinking, neither silkie eats a lot. He's such a calm guy and he sleeps really soundly. He's in a smaller area with only the silkie hen so he hasn't been injured. Oh and I have a 5 month old rooster in another coop who can't stay away from the girls and this silkie seems to want nothing to do with his silkie chick! Please help this fairly new chicken lover figure this out. I just adore this guy and hope its nothing.

 

[Michael Apple]

If you hold the bird up to your ear and listen to his breathing, does it sound clear or raspy? How's his backside look? Is it clean? When you part feathers underneath the vent, is the skin clean with no little dark or red specks moving around?