- Nov 13, 2014
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Hello everyone! New here! My husband called me yesterday asking if I wanted this beautiful black rooster. He was working at a resident, that had this poor rooster enclosed in a 8'X8' completely covered pen, dirty water, no food. He said the people who lived there now had sold the house to my husbands new client and that they needed to get rid of the rooster and the pen. My husband knowing how much I love animals and how I've taken in other sickly animals and gotten them well. And yes we have a lot of animals, a small farm. BUT, even though we have raised chickens, Buff Orps, I have never had a sick chicken. this poor rooster looks fine and beautiful at first glance, crows, clucks, feisty, breathing seems normal, but his legs and feet are a pitiful mess! His legs and feet are covered in this thick pale scaly skin, he has one toe missing, one other toe hanging by a thread of skin, ALL claws are extra long, or hanging, and his spurs are about 5" long curled up against his legs. He also has a white substance attached to his neck feathers. I'm pretty sure he has a vitamin D deficiency. No sunshine at all my husband said. That could explain broken toes, jumping or falling from roosts probably. And there is no telling what parasites and/or bacteria he could be carrying, that my chickens or myself could contract. My question is, to chicken lovers like myself, should I try to heal him of all his obvious and unseen problems and maybe give him some happy chicken life or should I put him down? Would love some opinions. My family who aren't the chicken lover that I am, only worries for me and my other healthy babies. Thank you