Exotic Rooster with Crooked Tail and Balance Problems

[1ChloeChick]

Can anyone tell me what's going on with my Exotic Rooster...he's almost five months old, arrived with my batch of day old laying hens, and as he grew, I noticed the tail develop and realized he's a rooster. He's very handsome, with a bunch of floppy hair on his head, and a big beautiful tail. But he is and has been a nervous wreck since he was a month old! And a few weeks ago, I noticed his tail is now completely bent to one side. It looks as if he injured it, but my coop is huge and super safe, and I never saw any kind of disturbance. But now what I notice, along with his nervousness, is he seems not to have great balance. He doesn't walk straight at times. Are all these things related? Is the bent tail related to the balance problem and the nervousness problem? Also, he's my first rooster, and he is the BIGGEST CHICKEN ever. I can't imagine him ever defending one of these hens. He's afraid of all of them. And I have seen a couple of them peck him and he screams and runs. Is this normal behavior?? What's going on?? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!

 

[MamaDoodle]

Could you provide pictures or a video? It would really help us to avoid flat out guessing. I'd be worried about him as well. :/

 

[flgardengirl]

Bent tail can usually mean one of two things. A) wry tail. This basically means its crooked. You might not want to breed him if you are using him in a breeding program but if he is just a pet and companion for your girls, it shouldn't hurt anything. B) Sometimes if your roost/perch is too close to the wall of the coop, the roosters with long tails can get their tails smooched against the wall when they sleep. Long term is could cause the tail to grow crooked. It could also be that the feathers are just messed up if it hasn't been going on too long.

 

[redrooster99]

the nervousness could be because of the crest i believe.