drooping comb on rooster

[mrstiffanymayer]

What does it mean when my 10 week old rooster has a comb that is drooping over to one side?

It is really hot here, but all my chickens have access to multiple waterers, wading pool and plenty of shade.

Please help, I hope he is not sick!!

 

[meriruka]

What breed is the roo? Some breeds have floppy combs.
If that's not it, check for mites & worms. Also check him out for respiratory issues. Is the comb normal color or is it bluish or pale?

 

[mrstiffanymayer]

The comb is normal colored. He is New Hampshire Red. No bluish, pale or discoloration.

How do I check for mites or worms?

I will upload pics this evening of the comb.

 

[mrstiffanymayer]

1) What type of bird , age and weight. - NHR, 10 weeks, not sure of weight
2) What is the behavior, exactly. - comb started drooping to his left on 9/1/093) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. - no
4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. - no idea, it is hot here, but I am pretty sure they are well hydrated (2 waterers, watermelon treats, wading pool, plenty of shade. I have introduced 4.5 week old EE's to the flock. Another thing is it seems his beak chipped off a little the other day http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30670058&l=581fce504c&id=1020163450
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30670059&l=d8b87bb817&id=1020163450
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30670060&l=cf34c5e55f&id=1020163450
5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. - drinks water. Eats Dumor starter/grower, watermelon, grapes, grass, bugs (free ranges), lettuce, bread, blueberries, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, chick scratch, chick grit (granite), bananas, yogurt,
6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. - poop is normal, I have seen runny in the past, but it is back to normal the very next poop
7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? - none
8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? - I will treat myself unless surgery is involved.
9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. - will be posting pics of issue and housing this evening.
10) Describe the housing/bedding in use - coop has DE, pine shavings, sand and dirt on the floor. It is 6x3x6 (lxwxh) in dimension. It is open air with the area by the roosts closed off. You cannot see the roosts or the added closed in area in the pic below, but it is on the left side. 6, 10 week olds and 3, 4 week olds sleep in the coop at night and they free range in my back yard during the day.

 

[meriruka]

His beak looks ok. Beaks are similar to fingernails, so that'll happen on occasion. Seems like diet & housing are fine, mites would probably make the comb paler but you can check by lifting his feathers & checking his skin for tiny bugs. Worms are hard to spot unless he's overloaded then you will see them in the poo, sometimes an orange foamy poo indicates the presence of worms. You could try some ACV in the waterers (1 tsp per gallon) and maybe some poultry vitamins to give him a boost.

 

[mrstiffanymayer]

Here is a photo from my husbands cell phone. Granted his head is cocked to the side, but you can still see the comb tilted over looking different from the links posted above.

 

[meriruka]

Find any mites? could be the pic, but the comb looks a little pale.

 

[mrstiffanymayer]

Can you describe how to look for mites, and what mites look like?

If I find mites, what product do I use to treat? and where is it located?

 

[mrstiffanymayer]

I looked all through his feathers and I didnt see anything.

How much meat should a 10 week old have on its breast? I felt a very prominent keel bone (not sure of the name).

Here he his tonight:

Here he is up on the roost for the night with his ladies. He is on the far left. You can kind of see how his comb is drooping over:

 

[meriruka]

If he's skinny, he may not be processing his food the way he needs to. I would put some organic apple cider vinegar in the water (1 tsp. per gallon) & give him some poultry vitamins. If he were mine, I'd worm him (some people object to worming birds unless a vet does a fecal test, I don't have that option, so I just do it every 6 months.)

Whether you decide to worm him or not, give him some plain probiotic yoghurt to get the "good" bacteria in his digestive tract and cut down on the treats some.