Rooster lost his voice

@3KillerBs any of advice on how to improve ventilation here?

I don't know anything about the medical treatment of chickens, but here is my article on ventilation to show what you should be looking for in the way of airflow: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

The most important place to have ventilation is the very top of the coop. If you can ventilate both the top and bottom of the roof slope that would create good airflow under the roof to carry away moisture and ammonia without risking drafts on the roosts.

Since you seem to have some decent roof overhangs it might be as simple as using a sawzall to take out a few inches of wood siding in the appropriate places and replace that with hardware cloth. :)
 
I don't know anything about the medical treatment of chickens, but here is my article on ventilation to show what you should be looking for in the way of airflow: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

The most important place to have ventilation is the very top of the coop. If you can ventilate both the top and bottom of the roof slope that would create good airflow under the roof to carry away moisture and ammonia without risking drafts on the roosts.

Since you seem to have some decent roof overhangs it might be as simple as using a sawzall to take out a few inches of wood siding in the appropriate places and replace that with hardware cloth. :)
Thank you
 
I don't know anything about the medical treatment of chickens, but here is my article on ventilation to show what you should be looking for in the way of airflow: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

The most important place to have ventilation is the very top of the coop. If you can ventilate both the top and bottom of the roof slope that would create good airflow under the roof to carry away moisture and ammonia without risking drafts on the roosts.

Since you seem to have some decent roof overhangs it might be as simple as using a sawzall to take out a few inches of wood siding in the appropriate places and replace that with hardware cloth. :)
is ventilation for during the day & hot summer nights? is it okay to close it up at night?
 
is ventilation for during the day & hot summer nights? is it okay to close it up at night?

The 1 square foot per chicken baseline is for 24/7/365. Anything that you ever close is supplemental ventilation on top of that baseline.

1 square foot per adult, standard-sized hen is a *guideline*, but in a hot climate my experience is that I need double or triple that unless I have the coop located in DEEP shade all day.

It can be argued that chickens need excellent ventilation even more at night than during the day because at night they're on their roost with the moisture from their breath and the ammonia from their poop building up to create bad air quality unless it's vented.

Imagine if you had to sleep locked up in an old-fashioned, hole-in-the-ground outhouse toilet. :eek:
 
Might anyone know what's wrong with our rooster? He looks normal and healthy on the outside but lost his voice a week or two ago and now sounds like he has bad laryngitis. He hasn't crowed in a while either.

The coop our chickens are in doesn't have good ventilation but we can't afford to buy/build a new one yet. I don't know if it might be because of that, dust, something he ate, etc. None of the hens are having this problem.

I haven't checked his mouth. How do I check his crop? I'm new to chicken health stuff.

An update also, my rooster's comb and face has grown pale and he's acting slower and more lethargic.
It would be nice to have some photos of the rooster, his poop and the inside of his beak.
How old is he?

Check to make sure his crop is emptying overnight. To do this, feel of his crop when he goes to roost, you should be able to feel a bump or bulge on the right side of his breast, this is the crop (food pouch). Next morning, go out and feel the same place again before he's had anything to eat/drink, the crop should be empty/flat.
If he roosts high, then caging him for the night be easier to gauge crop function and get a good look (and photos ) of his overnight droppings.

Do look inside his beak for lesions, canker or yellow pasty material.

How long have you had him?

If the windows stay open in your coop, then like ventilation is fine. The building is not airtight.
 

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