My rooster is depressed, please help

[Shadrach]

I do not think your rooster i suffering from coccidosis, or from worms. It won't do any harm to treat for both though.You should not feed roosters layer feed. I realise it's an easy error to make and many people do feed layer feed to roosters.
Layer feed, as it says in the name and should on the packet, is for laying hens.
Looking at the colour of his comb and the state of his poop, I would be inclined to think he has either heart, or liver problems, or has ingested a poisonous substance.
In the short term, I would feed him cooked white fish. I would not feed him oats. Cooked egg is fine as is small amounts of yogurt.
What I would do is get him to drink as much water as you can get down him. If he wont drink by himself, or eat by himself then youshould consider tube feeding him. There are a few guides here on BYC on tube feeding you will be able to find if you use the search function.
This article may help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
This one to
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...uals-very-detailed-post.805615/#post-11652991

 

[NatJ]

I had no idea. All of my chickens eat the same food and the other roosters seem perfectly fine. Thanks

Layer feed is meant to have the right amount of calcium for a hen that is laying eggs, which is more than other chickens need.
In other respects, layer feed is not much different than most other chicken feeds.

It's pretty well proven that "too much" calcium for "too long" can cause health problems in any chicken. How much is too much, and how long is too long, depends on a bunch of things, and I don't know all of them.

Apparently some roosters eat layer feed and have problems, while some other roosters can eat layer feed and never show any symptoms (they might actually be fine, or they might have problems that are not serious enough for us to notice. Probably some each way.)

The hens can be fine eating all-flock feed, or grower feed, or chick starter, as long as you also have a dish of oyster shell that they can eat for calcium. And the roosters and any chicks can also be fine eating all-flock feed, or grower feed, or chick starter. The ones that do not need as much calcium will mostly ignore the oyster shell. They may have a nibble on occasion to see what it is, but chickens of all ages can usually be trusted to eat the right amount of oyster shell for their own needs. Plenty of people feed their chickens this way, with a low calcium feed that is fine for all ages of chickens and then oyster shell available free choice.

I have no idea whether layer feed is why YOUR rooster is unwell, just trying to explain the reason why some people say not to feed layer feed to roosters.

 

[Romeo the Rooster]

Can he recover from heart/liver problems?

 

[Romeo the Rooster]

I’m giving him water and he is reluctantly drinking it on his own. I just need an all around safe food I can give him for now since he is so under nourished.

 

[JDChickChat]

Layer feed is meant to have the right amount of calcium for a hen that is laying eggs, which is more than other chickens need.
In other respects, layer feed is not much different than most other chicken feeds.

It's pretty well proven that "too much" calcium for "too long" can cause health problems in any chicken. How much is too much, and how long is too long, depends on a bunch of things, and I don't know all of them.

Apparently some roosters eat layer feed and have problems, while some other roosters can eat layer feed and never show any symptoms (they might actually be fine, or they might have problems that are not serious enough for us to notice. Probably some each way.)

The hens can be fine eating all-flock feed, or grower feed, or chick starter, as long as you also have a dish of oyster shell that they can eat for calcium. And the roosters and any chicks can also be fine eating all-flock feed, or grower feed, or chick starter. The ones that do not need as much calcium will mostly ignore the oyster shell. They may have a nibble on occasion to see what it is, but chickens of all ages can usually be trusted to eat the right amount of oyster shell for their own needs. Plenty of people feed their chickens this way, with a low calcium feed that is fine for all ages of chickens and then oyster shell available free choice.

I have no idea whether layer feed is why YOUR rooster is unwell, just trying to explain the reason why some people say not to feed layer feed to roosters.

Yup! I use all flock and provide a side of oyster shell for the girls.

 

[Acre4Me]

The purple comb may indicate heart issues or other internal issues. The purple comb usually means not enough oxygen in the blood.

Use layer feed, mix with water to make a mash. Did you only have layer feed today, use it. Do you have dry cat food? If so, wet it down and use some of it too -a small amount, but dry cat food is higher in protein. Scrambled egg is great. Entice him to eat by sprinkling a few small seeds on top of the mash. Use some herbs if that’s all you have to sprinkle on top -it looks like bugs if the herbs are darker and chickens are hard wired to peck at bugs.

Good luck !

 

[NatJ]

I just need an all around safe food I can give him for now since he is so under nourished.

Scrambled eggs are a good choice for any chicken.

If it will be a few days until you can get another kind of food, then whatever complete chicken food you have (even layer food) is probably the best thing for him during those few days.

If you are going to buy a special food for him, chick starter is a GREAT choice. Chick starter is designed for little chicks that need to grow feathers, muscle, bones, and everything else. So it's also good for adult chickens that need to gain weight, grow more muscle, grow new feathers, produce eggs, or pretty much anything else. (Chick starter is safe for chickens of all ages. It may have a little more protein than some chickens need, but not enough extra to harm them.)

And I see Acre4me just talked about how to make the food more attractive to the chicken.

 

[Romeo the Rooster]

Thank you. If he does have heart problems, how did that happen and can he get better?

 

[NatJ]

If he does have heart problems, how did that happen and can he get better?

Some kinds of heart problems can get better, some can not.

Since you have said there is no vet available, I would just try to get him well-fed, make sure he does not have coccidiosis or worm troubles, and see if he gets better on his own.

(Even a vet might not be able to DO much about heart problems in a chicken.)

Edit to add: cause of heart problems can be genetic, or developed wrong in the egg, or certain kinds of diseases or parasites, or injuries, or maybe "wrong" food.... lots of possibilities, many of them not things that you can check or change now.

 

[Acre4Me]

Thank you. If he does have heart problems, how did that happen and can he get better?

Probably not. But, if he is having any kind of breathing problems, check his mouth and throat to see if any blockage or inflammation. Might be lower oxygen due to obstruction.