little roo

[beaglex3]

we got our chicks 3 days ago. we have 16 pullets and one cockerel. all of the pullets are feathering out and growing like crazy. they are active, running all over the brooder eating, drinking and scratching. our litte roo is still a little fluff ball, spends most of his time sitting snuggled in the litter and dozing. he eats and drinks and poos, but still looks and acts like he's only a couple days old. is this normal? we were wondering if maybe the roos grow & develop more slowly than the pullets......or is he sick? he can walk upright on both legs, but he mostly does a crouch walk and sits most of the time. can anyone tells us what's going on with him???
thanks

 

[teach1rusl]

Well, here is where I'd like to make a crack about males in general being slower than females...lol. But I won't.

Males often feather in slower than pullets, but I would think the rest is breed or personality related. Are they all of the same breed? What breed is he, if not? As long as he's eating, drinking, pooing, and playing at least sometimes, I wouldn't worry at this point.

 

[beaglex3]

well, it took me a year to see this! i didn't know how to check for replies, lesson learned. our little roo died. he never thrived, gave up eating and a couple days after my post his legs became splayed. i tried the bandaid thing i saw for spraddle leg but it didn't help. i even tried doing physical therapy with him to strengthen his legs. soon th eother chicks got big enough they started pecking at him so we had to separate him. he died a couple days later.
thank you for your reply and advice. even tho it took me a year to read it, i appreciate it!