Getting a rooster back into "the mood" ?

[centrarchid]

Dead Head Syndrome

I deal with it fairly frequently. Can have multiple causes. Sometimes you have a wus. But just as likely your bird is stressed by a parasite load. I assume your knowledge of nutrition very good.

For wus. Isolate him in pen, no ladies, no dudes for a week or two. In addition to usual fare, feed him treats (insects or fruit) from hand to relax him. Then start handling him and giving him a workout like with a fly table. Working muscle groups can produce testosterone just like testes. When you want him to act like a breeder, introduce ladies to him but keep numbers low.

If he is possbly wormy, as some birds prone to become when confined to eat in same location where they defecate, then treat him for such. If wormy, improvement will be rapid.

 

[kathyinmo]

Illia,
I have exactly the same problem. Exactly! Mine is a Jersey Giant cockerel. I can not even put him in the bachelor's pen, as he loses weight and cowers at the sight of the other males. He does perfectly fine in a pen with his own girls (only 2), though even that took him awhile.

The suggestion of centrarchid, to isolate him ...... I did that, and it does not work. I had Leggs in my garage for at least 2 or 3 weeks, to increase his nutrition. If anything it made my boy more like a puppy. He will follow us around and come to us when he sees us.

I just made a small pen for him and his 2 girls. He eats and crows now. I even saw him attempt to mate, finally. I felt like I had tried everything else.

 

[centrarchid]

Kathyinmo,

No counter measure works 100% of time and situatiuons are seldom exactly the same. A systematic approach will most consistently get you back to a breeding rooster but even then success is not realised every time.

Ilia,
You been provided multiple options that IMO have potential to work. Try a few before giving up.