My rooster is high steping and has lost weight.

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Yes, the corn to produce heat is an old wives tale. It does not produce heat - but gives the birds extra calories "to burn" so they are not using muscle mass to heat themselves (I hope that made sense). Any food fed before bed, will give them extra calories - so a higher protein food/more nutrious food is actually better. Just like us humans - we could eat a sugar cereal before bed as a snack or a protein/fiber cereal before bed - both will give us calories to burn, yet one is much more beneficial to our bodies.


For the leg mites, I would treat him every other day for a couple weeks. This might be too long, or not long enough - I have no first hand experience with leg mites - just the dang body lice

Hopefully others will confirm or advise. You may want to rub down the girls legs also - just in case.


Oyster shell does not supply a source of protein - just calcium, which is needed for strong egg shells.



I do not believe - I could be wrong - but I do not believe that bleach in the water does anything for worms

 

[ivan3]

As has been mentioned, could be gout/arthritis (some lines more susceptible than others/also associated with diet/old injury). Ours is going on 6yr.. He was treated for bumblefoot a couple years back (resolved). However, he's since been somewhat gimpy on that side and, as he gets older, walks, as our grandaughter observed, `like a nazi' (high stepping/tentative). Have found that an 81mg., chewable aspirin, daily (roo is ~8lb so one crushed pill works out to about 10mg. per pound) gets him to follow the hens to the dustbathing areas and exhibit a bit of attitude, instead of lying in the doorway of the coop catching rays like the geezer he is. The aspirin dose that we use is considered a bit high (rec: 5mg/kg, or ~2.5lb) but slowly increased dose until we observed increased activity level (still high steps but does so with some authority). I'd decrease calcium intake and give him a drop of polyvisol enfamil (no iron formulation) vitamins daily for a month (usual suggested amount 3 drops daily x 1wk and taper off - for possible acute vitamin deficiency - not as a supplement). If it isn't already, place, hang, feeder so he doesn't have to `bend down' to get at it - if it is arthiritis/sprain/etc. he might not be eating as much owing to mechanical stress, i.e., doesn't want to tip over/flip on side.

Ours likes taking meds (the pics show the cephalexin and aspirin when dosing for bumblefoot) as, if allowed, he'll eat grapes until he collapses (grapes are useful vehicles for powdered meds - daubed up, and quickly scarfed down).

 

[sourland]

Bleach is not an effective worming agent.

 

[chkn]

I'd use a combination of drop on Ivermectin, poultry dust and Scarlet Spray which you can get at the feed store. I had a rooster that used to do that. I thought he was just walking that way because of his spurs. His knees eventually got so infected from the things I had to put him down.

 

[Thenino]

I'd use a combination of drop on Ivermectin, poultry dust and Scarlet Spray which you can get at the feed store. I had a rooster that used to do that. I thought he was just walking that way because of his spurs. His knees eventually got so infected from the things I had to put him down.

What was wrong with your rooster? Mine is also walking oddly. Here is a video