Living on the Oregon coast, suddenly have a small flock of 5 chickens and 2 roosters bought from a lady with too many chickens....

[Robinator]

In the last 6 weeks three hens have died. One definitely had a bad cold, one just did not thrive (could breath, just would not eat or drink. Marek?) one died from being bound up with an egg. Now we have two hens and 2 roosters. My favorite rooster has gone lame. The best I can figure is he had a broken hip, which I read up on. Put a hen with a broken hip in a box for a week or two and she's fixed. Put a rooster in a box and he's so not going to sit still. I have been reading posts from this site for help and finally decided to join and get in discussions. I don't think I can fix my rooster and he can't move around without rolling, using his wings to sit up. I love this sweet rooster and I'm hoping someone out there has been through this and has some good news. The Big rooster, Bart, beat him up very badly last week and I got him into a box for about 3 days before he said no. He's thrashing around in the box, which can't help mend his leg. There are NO chicken vets within a coupla hours of here. HELP! Thanks in advance, Robyn

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello and welcome to BYC. Glad to have have you with us in the poultry loving community. I hope that now you have the young fellow isolated from his bully. Can you soak his legs in warm epson salts water? And maybe get a B complex in him for a few days until he regains some strength. I have a kennel that I use for a clinic for such as this on a table so I can work at my level and can see legs and such much better If nothing is broke he should recover with some care. I also game bird starter grower for all injured birds. HTH.

Hopefully others will be along very soon that can add or take away from my thoughts.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

I am sorry you are having such troubles in your flock. You might want to stop by our Emergency forum and start a thread on your boy... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/ I hope you can get things sorted out soon.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, Robyn, and welcome to BYC!! I sure wish it was on happier circumstances but someday it will be. Hopefully you'll get answers in the emergency forum that @TwoCrows gave the link for. Good luck!

 

[N F C]

Hi, sorry to hear about your rooster. Hope with the tips given by @LTAY1946 and advice from the ER forum he'll be ok. Good luck!

 

[sourland]

Hello, Robyn, and welcome to BYC, Is the injured rooster separated from the other rooster for his protection?

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Robyn, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would not isolate him in a box. I would keep him in a wire dog crate in the coop with the hens. You may need two crates. One for him and one for the other rooster so they don't try to fence fight. You will need to choose one and rehome the other. Obviously, the big rooster will be easier to rehome as he is not injured.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. The Best of Luck with your Rooster and your remaining Hen's. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC Robyn! I'm so sorry for your losses. I hope someone in the ER forum can help you with your rooster.

 

[Boppo]

Glad to meet you, Robyn, and welcome to BYC. So sorry about your losses, and your injured rooster.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!