I think I may have messed up

[Kiki]

My Buff Orpington did not, she was the first i got she came from a farm, and the others came from auctions that provided very little detail about the birds

Yikes. This info means it is very likely disease related. People sell sick birds. Marek's disease is very common.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have fed layer feed with no rooster problems, but I also have used all flock feed when raising chicks or after most of my chickens were no longer laying. Layer makes it easier for the hens to get enough calcium for eggs. Your rooster did not have botulism. It starts with flaccid paralysis of both feet, then legs, working it‘s way up the spinal cord to the wings and head. Hopefully, your rooster did not have Mareks disease. But if you see another chicken with symptoms of a weak leg or others, then I would start a new thread. Your state vet should be able to perform a necropsy with testing for a cause of death. That is the best way to find out what was wrong. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Jupiterfog]

Unless he was just eating the treats then it is highly unlikely that he had a nutritional deficiency.

Did your vet mention sending him to the state lab for a Necropsy?

Are you aware you can send dead birds for a Necropsy to get an answer as to why they died instead of guessing? Having a necropsy can be life saving for other birds...if the death was caused by something that could be prevented.

Our vet offered very little, we tried to call for advice but they refused to tell us anything because of some law i suppose, because they hadn't seen them in over a year (which was because they told us there was no reason for routine appointments for chickens because there wasn't much they needed so to only bring them if they were sick)

I was not aware at all though, they did not tell us any of this even during the "consultation" to euthanize (which was just us signing a paper) and its a bit late as we took him to get cremated the same day. We also are a bit tight on funds and had to hurry and make $100 within a day to even get him euthanized.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many people don’t realize that buying chickens from auctions or really any public sale is risky because some people don’t know or care much about diseases. They just try to make money off raising them. In fact, I don’t recommend getting chicks from anywhere except a hatchery or a decent feed store that doesn’t allow people to touch the chicks. Recently I was reading a local ad on Facebook locally, and someone had a bunch of chickens for sale. The rooster had obvious ocular Mareks disease, just from his pinpoint irregular shaped pupil. I hope that your flock stays healthy, but we are here to help.

 

[Jupiterfog]

Many people don’t realize that buying chickens from auctions or really any public sale is risky because some people don’t know or care much about diseases. They just try to make money off raising them. In fact, I don’t recommend getting chicks from anywhere except a hatchery or a decent feed store that doesn’t allow people to touch the chicks. Recently I was reading a local ad on Facebook locally, and someone had a bunch of chickens for sale. The rooster had obvious ocular Mareks disease, just from his pinpoint irregular shaped pupil. I hope that your flock stays healthy, but we are here to help.

I was aware that it was risky, had a conversation with my husband about it but we were also a bit desperate at the time because our last rooster had passed as well, our buff orpington became depressed and stopped laying and wouldn't move unless it was to eat, drink or take a bath. They had them listed as barnyard mixes and that was it, I chose them because the rooster was gorgeous, white with some of it fading to grey, and a few black feathers on the longest part of his tail.
Heck anything for us is risky, the first rooster we had was supposed to be a hen and both were unintentional, second one was my mistake, i thought he looked like a hen!