My poor naked tailed little Roo

[featherhead007]

A young roo without a tail isn't normal. Many factors play into this. Maybe feather pecking?
Maybe lice, looks like dandruff? Maybe the other birds caused it? Or maybe Frostbite?
You just need to watch the actions of the whole flock closely, to find out. My roo lost his tail by fighting another rooster.

 

[Lake2day]

Oh. Interesting. Is anyone more skittish today or fearful? How far between the feathers and a hole/slat? Can you post a pic of the crime scene? This is much more interesting than work at the moment...

It actually happened the day before yesterday. And it’s hard to say about them acting differently because they have all been acting differently for the past few weeks. I assumed it was because of moulting and hormones and such. Sadly I’ve cleaned all the feathers up but I can take a pic of the gaps and the roost and I found the feathers directly under the roost where he normally sleeps. I did notice they left some feed in their trough a couple of days last week and that has never happened before...

 

[Morgank]

First time chicken owner here and my chicks are all grown up now, approaching 6 months fast. Now, I know chickens moult, but is it normal for a 5&1/2 month old cockerel to loose all of his tail feathers in one night? I also had 2 hens out the morning I discovered Arlo’s little naked butt..... No damage to the coup that would indicate something got in....Just the 2 hens out and a naked tail for poor Arlo. First pic is him a few days before. View attachment 1968436 View attachment 1968437 View attachment 1968438

Hi! To me, its normal if he loses only his tail. Certainly he is very active already and he try to chase chickens. My roosters often fly high on the shelfs, in the morning there is no tail feathers. We just don't see how active they are. But you should always check if there are any traces of the predator.

 

[LizzzyJo]

It actually happened the day before yesterday. And it’s hard to say about them acting differently because they have all been acting differently for the past few weeks. I assumed it was because of moulting and hormones and such. Sadly I’ve cleaned all the feathers up but I can take a pic of the gaps and the roost and I found the feathers directly under the roost where he normally sleeps. I did notice they left some feed in their trough a couple of days last week and that has never happened before...

Hmm. Maybe someone had been stalking them? I’m assuming they’re penned up? Maybe the predator spooked them back into the coop with food still out?

 

[Lake2day]

A young roo without a tail isn't normal. Many factors play into this. Maybe feather pecking?
Maybe lice, looks like dandruff? Maybe the other birds caused it? Or maybe Frostbite?
You just need to watch the actions of the whole flock closely, to find out. My roo lost his tail by fighting another rooster.

It shouldn’t be cold enough here in Alabama for frostbite, especially in this little blackberry winter we’ve been having. I have a dust bath for them with DE, sand, and fireplace ash..... I don’t know what lice in chickens looks like, and do they suffer from dandruff? What should I treat with if it’s something like that?

 

[Shadrach]

I think you may have has a visit from a weasel.
An adult hunt practiced weasel will give injuries like in the picture below.
I get a few every year that end up with rear ends like your Rooster.

You should close up any gaps.

 

[Lake2day]

Hmm. Maybe someone had been stalking them? I’m assuming they’re penned up? Maybe the predator spooked them back into the coop with food still out?

Yes, they are penned up. My in law’s dogs do pester them but they are kept up at night.. I have cats but Arlo isn’t afraid of them at all and seems to have them at bay. Idk..... it’s very strange

 

[Lake2day]

I think you may have has a visit from a weasel.
An adult hunt practiced weasel will give injuries like in the picture below.
I get a few every year that end up with rear ends like your Rooster.

You should close up any gaps.View attachment 1968448

Oh wow! I’ve never seen a wild weasel in my 35 years here in Alabama but I’ve heard a few old farmers mention minks..... I thought they were just about hunted and trapped to disappearance around here.... Fixing the gaps is on the to do list for the holiday weekend for sure. Thank you!

 

[Lake2day]

Hi! To me, its normal if he loses only his tail. Certainly he is very active already and he try to chase chickens. My roosters often fly high on the shelfs, in the morning there is no tail feathers. We just don't see how active they are. But you should always check if there are any traces of the predator.

He is definitely very active and seems to be a good Roo so far, watchful but not overly aggressive. Hope he stays that way. Maybe he did just get them caught in something. Will cover all my bases just in case though

 

[featherhead007]

It shouldn’t be cold enough here in Alabama for frostbite, especially in this little blackberry winter we’ve been having. I have a dust bath for them with DE, sand, and fireplace ash..... I don’t know what lice in chickens looks like, and do they suffer from dandruff? What should I treat with if it’s something like that?

I think the problem was an attack of some sort. Most roosters will fight to the death to protect their ladies. Lice looks like tiny white spots at the base of the feathers