Rooster not crowing and very red feet

[Olgakim]

Hi everyone, my rooster who usually crows a lot in the morning has not crowed once today. When looking up why, it was indicated that he may be sick. Other than the crowing, he is behaving normally. He received some watermelon which he pecked at a bit. The only other notable change is his feet are very red in between his toes (usually they are faintly red there). They are not swollen and do not appear to be bothering him. Does anyone have any advice?

The chickens recently moved to their new home about two or three weeks ago. The home is very clean and well made. No dampness on the bedding. The roosting bars are wood. I lost two chickens within a few months while they were living in their other home. They are only two years old, and the first who passed away may have had a respiratory infection. They all went on the antibiotic after that. I believe the issue may have persisted when my second chicken died. I haven’t noticed anyone panting lately. Maybe scratching or grooming under their feathers a bit more.

I’m hoping my sweet boy will be okay. Any insight will be very much appropriated!

 

[Geckolady]

You have watermelon on the ground. My roo loves to squish watermelon between his toes, and it tends to color the same area as what your roo shows. You might want to give his feet a good soaking and clean them with a washcloth to see if that helps.

 

[topochico225]

View attachment 2773026Hi everyone, my rooster who usually crows a lot in the morning has not crowed once today. When looking up why, it was indicated that he may be sick. Other than the crowing, he is behaving normally. He received some watermelon which he pecked at a bit. The only other notable change is his feet are very red in between his toes (usually they are faintly red there). They are not swollen and do not appear to be bothering him. Does anyone have any advice?

The chickens recently moved to their new home about two or three weeks ago. The home is very clean and well made. No dampness on the bedding. The roosting bars are wood. I lost two chickens within a few months while they were living in their other home. They are only two years old, and the first who passed away may have had a respiratory infection. They all went on the antibiotic after that. I believe the issue may have persisted when my second chicken died. I haven’t noticed anyone panting lately. Maybe scratching or grooming under their feathers a bit more.

I’m hoping my sweet boy will be okay. Any insight will be very much appropriated!

Can you get a picture of behind his legs? I see a peek of red on them-- it may be a hormone flush.

 

[LaFleche]

I am sorry you lost two birds.

scratching or grooming under their feathers a bit more.

Did you already inspect your birds and their coop for red poultry mites and lice?

Your rooster seems to suffer from scaly leg mites, the uplifting scales and the redness are indicators. Although there are some breeds where the roosters show red lines on the outside of their shanks due to hormones.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Pinkness between the toes, & on the legs is normal, & means hormones are flowing.

He could just have a sore throat, & is taking a break.

The deaths you mentioned sound like a possible disease surging through your flock.

 

[coach723]

The redness on his feet/legs looks normal to me, most likely hormonal. There are days when my roo's are more quiet than other days, and some days they hardly stop to breathe between crows, it's pretty variable. So that could or could not be an indication of illness. I would look for other signs, check droppings for normalcy, check his crop function, look him over well for any injuries that might be hiding under feathers, and look for lick/mites at the same time, make sure his weight/body condition are good. Look for any respiratory symptoms, many respiratory issues are chronic and symptoms will come and go, reappearing during times of stress.