Is it normal for my four month old rooster to be shaped like a bowling ball?

[Basghettiii]

This is Bean. Bean is my first rooster, so I’m not really sure what they are like developmentally. I’m just a bit concerned by how he is shaped.

He is also extremely heavy compared to all of my other chickens. I know his dad is very big, so I understand that he may just be a very large bird, but we are hoping that he doesn’t have some sort of Cornish mix in him. We don’t know the breed of his father, but his mother is a small golden comet. We have two pretty hefty duel purpose hens (both close to a year old- one is turning one this month!) and he outweighs both of them already.

Biscuit is my buff Orpington, and she is huge, but not as big as Bean.

This is Bean’s dad, the neighbor rooster. He isn’t particularly wide as far as I can tell, but I’ve never picked him up. He is quite large, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Bean is just going to be a big chicken but… I don’t know why he is shaped slightly like a bowling ball.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

He appears bloated, especially when you look at his back in the second picture. How does he walk? Can he fly ok and get to the coop's highest perch? Is he eating and drinking? What does his poops look like? Has he always been like this, or does he appear to be getting worst?

Tagging @Eggcessive

 

[Basghettiii]

He appears bloated, especially when you look at his back in the second picture. How does he walk? Can he fly ok and get to the coop's highest perch? Is he eating and drinking? What does his poops look like? Has he always been like this, or does he appear to be getting worst?

Tagging @Eggcessive

He can walk and fly perfectly fine. He can clear a five foot fence easy. He eats very well, straight from my hand. He acts alright, but he gets bigger and wider as he gets older. He doesn’t feel squishy or anything, it just feels like an excessive amount of muscle- I’m just wondering if I need to manage his access to food.

 

[Coops Dad]

He is a beamy one, isn't he! He'd be square if he was just a bit taller.

I don't see an CX in him aside from the thickness but, seeing his father, I think he'll look a lot like him when he matures and maybe a bit broader.

Both of my roosters are Bresse; one was broad and the other looked pretty average. Today, the beefier one is an absolute beast, easily 4"-5" taller, broad shouldered and deep breasted. He's the one I use in breeding to my Bresse and RIR hens for the table. His offspring are big and hit table weight in 4 months.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I can only see two of your pictures. Can he walk, run, and jump without pain? Most of my 4 month old chickens, of either gender, spend most of their time on their feet and are pretty slender.

Compared to my 4 month old roosters, he does not look healthy. Could he have some meat bird ancestry? My meat birds are so heavy they look mis-shapen. They're only 6 weeks old, though.

 

[Basghettiii]

I can only see two of your pictures. Can he walk, run, and jump without pain? Most of my 4 month old chickens, of either gender, spend most of their time on their feet and are pretty slender.

Compared to my 4 month old roosters, he does not look healthy. Could he have some meat bird ancestry? My meat birds are so heavy they look mis-shapen. They're only 6 weeks old, though.

He eats, walks, runs, and flies perfectly fine. He’s completely normal aside from his strange shape. We aren’t sure what breed his father is, so we can’t really say much about his possible ancestry. We know it is certainly possible that he could be some sort of meat bird cross, but given how big his father is, I think he might just need to get a bit taller. He’s also pretty tired in those pictures, they were taken today. All of my chickens are in a sleepy mood this evening- it’s almost their bedtime.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Looks like his father has some game bird in him.

If your rooster can walk, fly, run and jump without pain, I'd say don't worry too much. You may want to monitor his feed for a while to see how much he's eating.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Bean looks more like a Beanbag...

 

[Eggcessive]

Does he seem to be swollen with air under his skin in his chest, neck, or sides? Could he have been fighting with his dad, and been hurt? Are his wings always lowered?

 

[Coops Dad]

Brothers and hatchmates Little Enos Birdett:

Big Enos Birdett: