Rooster With Broken Femur

[duckking]

Not sure where to post this. My 6 month old Speckled Sussex Rooster has been limping for a few days. Took him in to the vet today and found out he broke the top of his femur and it damaged the growth plate. It is in such a position that the vet doesn't think surgery is possible. He is on an anti-inflammatory by injection for 14 days....thank goodness he's very sweet and docile with us. Doc said he might develop some arthritis, or depending on how much more he has to grow as opposed to just filling out, one leg might be a bit shorter than the other if there was too much damage to the growth plate. He felt that Woodsey would be able to live a good quality life. I guess I'm asking what your take is on this. We have another rooster who is the senior guy and 8 hens along with 7 ducks. They all get along fine, but I'm concerned he'll get picked on or shunned if his limp gets worse or he appears disabled. At the moment the limp is very slight.

I am adding niacin and vitamins/electrolytes to the water for him, but the other ducks and chickens use the same waterers, and I have heard too much niacin is bad for them.

He is the sweetest rooster and absolutely gorgeous. I can't cull him, but I don't want him miserable either.

Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks

 

[donrae]

My first thought is to cull, but I guess it depends on how he does. I have a mature roo that limps heavily, he's the bottom roo (I have four), but no one actively picks on him, he even manages to mate a few times a week. He rests a lot more than my other birds, but is active and calls the girls for treats still. My birds do free range, I think that has a lot to do with everyone getting along better. If your birds are confined, the picking might be worse. Just keep an eye on him, with the thought he may need to be removed at some point. If you like him that much and he's picked on, you could build him his own pen and give him one or two girls.

 

[duckking]

Thanks so much donrae. We had been considering giving him away earlier because he was being very aggressive to our 3 original mature hens. We segregated him for a day and all of a sudden the other roo just took over! While he hangs out with everyone, the other roo definitely has become top roo. They were brought up together from 2 days old (we thought they were pullets). Woodsey is still accepted and hangs with everyone else except when I think he is uncomfortable. I am hoping he will hold his own, but we're keeping a close eye on him. We just can't cull him......how do you cull a bird who comes up to you and sits in your lap and softly chuckles in your ear???