My roo chick smells like fish!

[BarkerChickens]

One of my roos smells like fish!

He is 7 wks old and has stunk since the day we got him (2-3 days old). He is beautiful (a Salmon faverolle) and I want to keep him. But what is up with the stench?!?! It is only his head...everywhere else smells like a normal chick. Maybe his breath? (though he smells constantly...not just when his beak is open). He acts fine and he is the only one of 55 chicks that we have that smells like this. Has anyone had experience with this? What causes it (or might cause it)? What can I do to make him smell better? I pick him up and immediately get reminded of his nasty fish head.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Is my chick the only fish head cockerel/roo out there? Maybe he think the "salmon" in salmon faverolle is suppose to be the fish, not the color.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Quote:
It's the new drug. all the kids are doing it these days.

Sometimes they will distinguish between the different animal proteins. Especially fish because too much of fish meal will make the birds eggs taste funny.

 

[aart]

Any insights??

I'd like to know too, doesn't look like they came to any conclusions(tho I didn't read the whole thread) and @BarkerChickens hasn't been around for a few years.

 

[Cocorico3]

I'd like to know too, doesn't look like they came to any conclusions(tho I didn't read the whole thread) and @BarkerChickens hasn't been around for a few years.

@BarkerChickens was so kind enough to reply to a private message I sent and says that the rooster “was that way until he passed. It never affected him, so it wasn't a health issue”. Sounds like no cause for concern fortunately, but it does leave a strange mystery unsolved!

 

[Lillith37]

My top hen Whitetail smells like fish around her head but is the only one in my flock who does and is otherwise perfectly healthy. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has ever encountered this!

 

[RaeAnahatas]

I’m so glad im not the only one….. but this is such a weird thing. Got an 8week chick who, just like the rest of yall, has a fish smelly head, but otherwise normal.
I gotta figure this out lol

 

[RaeAnahatas]

According to this article the "fishy, decaying smell is caused by trimethylamine (or TMA) a common byproduct of normal digestion.. caused by the fermentation of choline in a chicken’s gut (I suspect feeding them fermented feed would make it worse if your chickens experience this)The next step of digestion is when the very stinky TMA is processed into the safe and odor-free trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)"Unfortunately the stinky fish smell down to the eggs. https://backyardhomesteadhq.com/why-your-chicken-eggs-smell-fishy-and-what-to-do/

You are the real MVP here!!
I’m going to check my chicks feed right now. And I’ll add some probiotics

 

[jnjross]

it's the feed,

 

[MoodyChicken]

Is there fish meal in the feed? Does he have a runny nose?