FluffyButtBabies
Songster
I have a six month old Polish Rooster who started crowing a month ago. We're only planning on keeping him till next spring, so we can have some lovely Polish cross chicks. So we got him a crow collar and started taking him every night so he wouldn't disrupt the neighbors in the mornings. He sleeps on his own at night, and we take the collar off so his skin doesn't get irritated. This has been the system for about a month. But for the past few days I've noticed a behavior change in Goose. Physically there seems to be nothing wrong with him. He eats and drinks, fluffs his feathers, walks around and makes noise. His poops are perfect, he has no lice or mites, and the hens are all healthy as well. But he's grown substantially more docile, almost unhealthily so. I assumed the daily handling might have made him more used to human interaction, because he always lets me move him around however I want without complaint. But in the coop as well, he'll stand still with a slightly lowered head. He'll react to strange noises and takes basic care of himself, but it's almost like he's depressed. I was worried the collar was bothering him so I took it off, but there's been no change in his sad behavior. In addition, he's stopped crowing altogether (he makes warning noises and cries when the hens leave him, but he doesn't TRY). Like I said, I've been watching him incredibly carefully and there are no physical ailments that are obvious to me. Does anybody know what could be wrong? Is he sick with something? Is he sad? And can chickens even GET depressed? Any help is appreciated!
