Rooster looks great, but something is clearly wrong...

[aliprowl]

Thank you all for the input and ideas. I'm baffled, let me tell you. It's possibly he has sprained something, though he's the only rooster and so it would not have been from a fight. He could have fended off something and we didn't see the scuffle, or as you say, it could be from jumping up/down. Who knows??! But he's been doing this for probably 4 weeks, so whatever it is, it is taking its time to heal or move along. He just doesn't look sick or anything - his comb is red, his eyes are bright. The vitamin deficiency is, I guess possible - but why only him and not the rest of the flock, and they eat very good quality organic layer pellets (plus every treat known to mankind). I hope he doesn't die - we love him and he does a fantastic job of keeping the girls in line. He's so big and glossy and vibrant - seems incomprehensible that he has something horribly wrong. Is it possible for a rooster to be too heavy for his legs?? He isn't weirdly fat. When I went out to the coop to put them to bed for the night, he was on the roost and I felt of his legs. One of them definitely trembled in my hand, not sure why that would be the case. The roost is flat and wide, not round - so he wasn't gripping.
I'm completely befuddled. I just wish I could do something for him. Maybe I should put him in a crate and bring him in? That would prevent him from walking on it at all, which might be good? I can't imagine him being in a crate, nor can I imagine how to keep the crate clean! I think he might freak out in a crate for any extended period of time. What about keeping him in the run and not letting him free range? At least he wouldn't feel like he has to roam all over and the girls would be safe and he could take a break?? Would have to put them all in the run, which is quite large, or else it would stress them all out, I expect.
Will worm them, but can't imagine that it's worms. He isn't lethargic at all - more like his legs aren't strong enough for him to stand on them. Neurological??

 

[seminolewind]

Mites and lice don't just pick one bird to infect.
The red streaks on his legs could just be normal roo. Or is it more like a rash?
If it's neuro and contageous, someone else will get it. If not, I would imagine that it's something internal that you can't do anything for.

I think it's sadder when a roo gets sick, they seem more pathetic.
I think for right now, I would leave him alone, and let him be with the flock-as long as he's eating and drinking.

 

[aliprowl]

From the 5,000 photos I've stared at on the web, the red streaks look totally normal and are minimal - they look like normal legs, to me.
He is definitely eating, drinking and has not lost weight from what I can tell. I'm going to pick him up tomorrow, which he will hate, but at least to have a baseline of what he feels like as opposed to what he looks like.
I guess I'll just leave him be and watch him - my husband thinks I'm totally overreacting. He's just such a noble fellow and such a powerhouse - and now he's sitting around like an old man!
Thank you all so much for all the input. Will report back if I learn anything more or if things change; will continue to monitor this thread in case someone sees it and has more suggestions.
Am going to dust & worm this weekend regardless - it's that time of year anyway and I'll be curious to see if it makes a difference.

 

[FowlPlayFox]

I really don't have any info for you unfortunately, but I am in the same boat. My 4.5 yr old HUGE Jersey Giant roo Winston has been acting exactly how your roo is acting. Looks great, but lays down a lot and isn't as active with the ladies. I think it all started 4 or so months ago when he got bumblefoot. I did my best to treat it with soaks and antibiotics. He was never really lame, maybe just the first day. He seemed to get completely better. A few weeks ago I noticed he wasn't getting on the roost at night, choosing to sleep under the droppings board - that had never happened before. He started to sorta stagger around and strain when going to the bathroom. I dusted him really well for mites/ lice. He isn't getting worse and he is back up on the roost at night, but he lays down a lot during the day. I have noticed his crow has changed too - it is a little gurgly at the end. Have you noticed that at all with yours? I have kind of been thinking Winston had that bacterial infection from the bumble foot spread and turn into arthritis, but he doesn't seem to be getting worse, so I don't know...

 

[aliprowl]

That is wild that you are having such similar symptoms. Moses is still getting on the roost, but I'll be curious to see if he starts sleeping on the floor. I haven't watched him hop up the ladder to roost but will try to witness that tonight - curious to see how he acts when he does that. His crow seems okay, though it has been trailing off at the end a bit more than normal - still a strong crow, but altered maybe a tad. (My brother in law commented on his crow being weak, weirdly enough.) I kept thinking bumblefoot, but haven't seen any evidence and I swear it's his legs, not his feet. If roosters got arthritis, I'd say he had it - he just seems stiff and creaky, like an arthritic old man, but he isn't even as old as yours - he is three. Maybe roosters can get arthritis and we just don't know it?? The fact that your Winston has had this for four months is also interesting - it indicates that they don't just drop dead of this, so it probably isn't a disease but more of a "condition"? I would give him antibiotics just to see if they worked, except every time I put something in their water they gawk at it and absolutely won't drink it if it smells different or looks different. The electrolytes and antibiotics I've tried all turn the water yellow or orange or something. Have not noticed straining and he isn't staggering - but he's walking stiff legged and stands with legs slightly splayed. Can roosters get Lyme disease??
Is Winston sitting down or lying down on his side? Moses is merely sitting.

 

[seminolewind]

They can get sepsis from a bumblefoot infection.

 

[aliprowl]

UPDATE*****
Tonight I went out to the coop and actually put Moses down on his back, and inspected him much more closely. Up until now, I had only been looking at and feeling his legs.
When I turned him over, his breast bone is very prominent and it is abraded - not bleeding, but like a skinned knee on each side of the bone. He seems VERY thin to me. I read where there should be "some meat" on each side
of the breast bone; he has "some" but certainly not much and it is definitely sticking out. I don't get it - they have food out 24/7 and get treats also (BOSS, mealworms, fruit). I am doing the Wazine in the water part of worming
and will then do the paste (ivermectin or whatever it is) after that; I am assuming he could definitely have worms and they could cause weight loss?? Have seen no physical evidence of worms on the poop boards. Will also dust
him and the flock after I worm all of them.
What else could be causing weight loss??
Does anybody have an opinion on the skinned breast bone - do you think it's red & raw because it is so prominent and when he does his thing with the girls, it gets rubbed? It doesn't look like he's been in a fight or anything weird.
Everybody is molting to boot.
The last time I wormed them (think it was in the spring, early spring) one hen had a pale comb. Moses's comb is bright red but warm. Is a warm comb bad?
Now I'm worried all over again - do not think it's his legs, I think he's weak!!! This is awful!!

 

[chkn]

Quote:
Okay, I'm thinking that red at the top of the leg might be infection due to the scaley leg. I had a rooster like that. Follow the red by lifting his feathers and see if there are scabs up there. Mine was like that but by the time I realized it wasn't his spurs getting in the way the infection was getting into his joints. I eventualy had to put him down because he got to where he couldn't walk at all. Check those knees and post a picture if you can. Maybe someone here can recommend a treatment that would work better than what I did. I don't think so though. Underneath the scabs on the knees were like a bumblefoot infection. I'd remove the scabs (diffcult) and try and pick out the staph plugs. I'd disinfect, pack with neosporine and wrap with a vet type wrap and treat with antibiotics. One thing I may have done wrong was use the neosporine with pain reliever. You're supposed to use the plain neosporine. Hopefully you caught it in time. My roo was getting up there in age (8 years or so) and the infection had been present too long. So, go see what's up there.

 

[chkn]

Quote:
I would get cracking with Valbazen for the worms (1/2 cc or 1/2 ml for an average sized bird). Assume all your chickens have worms because they just do. Check the knees like I said above. I've had some redness on a couple of my birds (butt and breast), both had some respiratory issues. The other thing with one is she has been really affected by mites, etc. I've been treating them with pour on Ivermectin and sevin more this summer (I'd hold off on Ivermectin 7-10 after Valbazen since you haven't wormed for awhile). I'm also spraying their ears, earlobes and underneath their wattles with Adams Plus Flea and Tick Spray (covering up their eyes when I do it). Still haven't gotten to the bottom of my one hen's red breast. I should put her on another round of antibiotics. I was hoping the extra effort on external parasites would help because she's been the itchiest and her feathers look the crummiest. It's almost like she's got some type of ear mite and/or depluming mite thing going on (well, I'm sure they all do, it's just that she's the most affected). My roo passed away this spring. He had a red bottom and a respiratory illness that compromised his heart and lungs (sometimes blue face and comb and wattle tips black). I've treated for antibiotics but with some of them it seems chronic (and it keeps coming back).

 

[nickie]

Quote:
I would get cracking with Valbazen for the worms (1/2 cc or 1/2 ml for an average sized bird). Assume all your chickens have worms because they just do. Check the knees like I said above. I've had some redness on a couple of my birds (butt and breast), both had some respiratory issues. The other thing with one is she has been really affected by mites, etc. I've been treating them with pour on Ivermectin and sevin more this summer (I'd hold off on Ivermectin 7-10 after Valbazen since you haven't wormed for awhile). I'm also spraying their ears, earlobes and underneath their wattles with Adams Plus Flea and Tick Spray (covering up their eyes when I do it). Still haven't gotten to the bottom of my one hen's red breast. I should put her on another round of antibiotics. I was hoping the extra effort on external parasites would help because she's been the itchiest and her feathers look the crummiest. It's almost like she's got some type of ear mite and/or depluming mite thing going on (well, I'm sure they all do, it's just that she's the most affected). My roo passed away this spring. He had a red bottom and a respiratory illness that compromised his heart and lungs (sometimes blue face and comb and wattle tips black). I've treated for antibiotics but with some of them it seems chronic (and it keeps coming back).

Have you considered that they may have a fungal infection, be it internal or external from using antibiotics on top of the super high humidity that most of the country has had this summer. A lot of fungal infections act like respiratory illnesses and treating with antibiotics does nothing.



About the op problem, I'm assuming your rooster doesn't get picked up and held a lot, which would be why you may have missed his weight loss. Don't beat yourself up, some worms cannot be seen by the naked eye or are easy to miss.