Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

[1muttsfan]

That Hector what an idiot! Why doesn't he appreciate those pretty girls?

 

[speckledhen]

I know. He makes zero sense to me. I put him in that pen where Panda, Emily and Tiny used to live with barriers between him and Atlas so Maddie and Zara would get some peace. Poor Maddie cries all the time and tries to hide behind me. I'll put him back when it's roost time so he can sit on the nest box where he likes to sleep.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm very worried about Hector today. For the last week, he hasn't jumped on the tall nest box successfully. I don't really want him up there because it's a long jump down, but he insisted on sleeping there, refused to sit on the roost. I've found that he has not been up there the last few days at all, guess he slept on the floor. Today, his leg is very unstable. It not only shakes, but he wobbles, as if it's an effort to stand and move around at all. I've been through aspirin with him, given him turmeric in special feed, etc. He is so unstable that I'm afraid he's going to hurt one of the hens trying to mate her. I switched the Brahma group pen with Hector's so now, Hector is in a slightly smaller pen with a solid wall on one side, probably slightly warmer, even because of that. It has shelves and even a "handicapped ramp" to get to the first 2x4 bar, which we trained Bash to use instead of his big old self jumping down, but I'm not sure Hector can even use that the way he is today. That switch makes better sense anyway, now that Hector has two less hens. His group is six and Bash's is seven, and a larger seven birds as well.
Seems an ominous sign for my Hector. I don't know what to do. I have no way to separate him from his hens entirely unless I put him in another coop, the old bantam coop, and I really hate that idea of taking him from Jill, especially. They are so bonded. I cannot take care of a completely crippled rooster again like I did Zane, said I would never do that again, so I hope he recovers somewhat in this smaller area. It's still big, just not as big, probably 8x8 size, if I recall correctly. The other one is at least a foot wider, so maybe 8x9.

 

[getaclue]

Could he have jumped down, and sprained, or otherwise hurt his leg(s)? I sure hope it's nothing serious.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, but he was shaky quite some time ago. I posted a video of the way he was walking and still, he insisted on jumping up to roost on that flat surface and then, jumping down again for months. Seems to be worse now. Today, I literally picked him up and put him on a roost shelf (about 10" wide) in the "new" pen and he would not even stand up, acted like he was very afraid to even try. This was 7 months ago:

 

[1muttsfan]

It's hard to tell sometimes if things that look like that are neurological or if they are due to weakness. Either way it it doesn't look great

 

[speckledhen]

That video was awhile back and he's very wobbly now. I hope he can get more rest in the other pen, no nest box to try to jump onto. I think he's been sleeping on the floor. Gives me flashbacks of Isaac sleeping on the floor when he'd fall off the roost in the middle of the night, getting frostbitten toes. Thankfully, this barn is on the ground with raised floor and sealed insulated air space underneath, no cold air whizzing under there like in the original coop. Frostbitten toes are unlikely for Hector. Poor boy.

 

[speckledhen]

Been awhile since I posted anything on Hector's thread. He sleeps on the floor in the back corner every night while his remaining four hens sleep on the roost. I put a reptile bulb over him because his legs are painful, especially in the cold weather. Maybe it's just the one leg, but he doesn't mate his hens anymore. Yesterday, my Dirty Dozen Plus One escaped their pen while Hector's group was outside, including the four little roosters. Guess Tom didn't latch the door well. When I saw an EE outside, I freaked out and Tom went down there as fast as he could. No bloodshed had occurred and Hector plus hens were back inside in their own pen. Hector just doesn't much care to engage these days. He's acting like an old, old man at 5 1/2 years old. In his younger years, that group would have been in some trouble.
Zara and Athena, Atlas's daughter who are with Hector, are 6 yrs old, there is Maddie, Hector's daughter with Jill (and looks just like her) who is 4 years old and Jill herself who is the last remaining girl who hatched with Hector so she's 5 1/2 as well. No eggs from that group in probably six months.

 

[h2oratt]

Been awhile since I posted anything on Hector's thread. He sleeps on the floor in the back corner every night while his remaining four hens sleep on the roost. I put a reptile bulb over him because his legs are painful, especially in the cold weather. Maybe it's just the one leg, but he doesn't mate his hens anymore. Yesterday, my Dirty Dozen Plus One escaped their pen while Hector's group was outside, including the four little roosters. Guess Tom didn't latch the door well. When I saw an EE outside, I freaked out and Tom went down there as fast as he could. No bloodshed had occurred and Hector plus hens were back inside in their own pen. Hector just doesn't much care to engage these days. He's acting like an old, old man at 5 1/2 years old. In his younger years, that group would have been in some trouble.
Zara and Athena, Atlas's daughter who are with Hector, are 6 yrs old, there is Maddie, Hector's daughter with Jill (and looks just like her) who is 4 years old and Jill herself who is the last remaining girl who hatched with Hector so she's 5 1/2 as well. No eggs from that group in probably six months.

It’s hell getting old.

 

[speckledhen]

Amen, sister.