My 12 week old BR rooster was roughed up by my dogs and/or the older chickens in the flock yesterday. Normally, we let the chickens out to free-range every day after work. The younger chickens free-range in a fenced in area and the dogs are not let in unless we are out there. Unfortunately, yesterday, the dogs were allowed to stay in the fenced in area with the chickens unsupervised. This became a lesson learned.....don't leave the dogs in a fenced in area with the chickens unsupervised! Anyway, back to the injured rooster. We found him lying in the grass looking around. His feathers were "ruffled". My son picked him up and inspected him and didn't find any blood or wounds, but we can tell something is wrong with him. He did not try to get away like he usually does. His tail feathers are stiff and matted, and they are drooping (not standing up like the other roosters). He stands or lies down and keeps his eyes closed most of the time. We don't think it is life-threatening at this point because he is eating, drinking, pooping, and walking. But it just seems like he is injured. I let him out in a grassy area today and he ate grass and bugs, but I had to "fight off" the older chickens. They wanted to attack him. The younger chickens (his siblings) don't act like there is anything wrong. Does anyone have any advice for me? We are new to chicken raising and still learning what to do and what NOT to do.
