I just recently noticed that my 156 day old (or about 5 months/about 22 1/2 weeks) rooster (born on January 29th, 2010) has had his right wing always held out/down (drooping), unlike his left wing.
He has been acting normal and pretty healthy (besides being very light-weighted). Please refer to my other thread here about him being very light-weighted (in case his wing problem and that are related): https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4460529#p4460529
As a chick he was a runt (stunted growth due to an improper diet), but once he was on a better diet, his growth rapidly increased and he nearly caught up to what his size should have been at whatever age he was at. Due to his stunted growth, he has always been smaller than what he should be at his age, but still healthy overall. (Again, please read through the above thread for other information about his health history, diet, etc.!)
He can hold his wing up high enough (it's not dragging on the ground or anything...) but it's not held up as high as his left wing. And when I was examining it, I noticed that with his left wing, like most chickens do, he kept pulling away and re-adjusting it (since they usually don't like it when you touch their wings). But with his right wing, he didn't pull away at all. It's like his right wing isn't as sensitive as his left one.
He can flap it and everything, but he seems a bit more clumsy when jumping from one place to another (like from his perch or when I'm holding him) and he doesn't like jumping up to high places, such as his perch, which is why he often sleeps on the floor in the coop at night...but lately I've been just picking him up and placing him on the perch, since he doesn't like to jump up to it himself. I know he probably could if he wanted to, but he just doesn't want to.
Someone said that he most likely has a bad heart (I mentioned in the above thread in the link that I posted that sometimes his comb turns slightly purple every once in a while, like once a month, and he becomes lethargic for a day, but gets over it by the next day). Could that be related to his awkward wing?
I examined his wing and felt it over, thinking that maybe it was injured or even broken...I can't really feel anything (or see anything, when I move the feathers away) that looks like his wing is somehow injured, except I noticed that his right awkward wing seems to curve inward more, unlike his normal, straight wing on the left.
And he holds it out more, rather than keeping it close to his body like the left wing...Overall, it doesn't noticeably seem to bother him, except for being a little more clumsy. He can walk just fine, he eats and drinks on his own, he's not showing any other signs of any illness (eyes are clear and bright, comb is not very pale, (although it was pale for a while until I started making sure he ate more food to gain more weight), his nostrils are clear, his droppings look normal, etc.). Any ideas? How can I help him? Should I be worried about his drooping wing? Will it recover on its own, whatever is wrong with it?
Thanks and let me know if there is any other information I can provide that would help.
As a chick he was a runt (stunted growth due to an improper diet), but once he was on a better diet, his growth rapidly increased and he nearly caught up to what his size should have been at whatever age he was at. Due to his stunted growth, he has always been smaller than what he should be at his age, but still healthy overall. (Again, please read through the above thread for other information about his health history, diet, etc.!)
He can hold his wing up high enough (it's not dragging on the ground or anything...) but it's not held up as high as his left wing. And when I was examining it, I noticed that with his left wing, like most chickens do, he kept pulling away and re-adjusting it (since they usually don't like it when you touch their wings). But with his right wing, he didn't pull away at all. It's like his right wing isn't as sensitive as his left one.
Someone said that he most likely has a bad heart (I mentioned in the above thread in the link that I posted that sometimes his comb turns slightly purple every once in a while, like once a month, and he becomes lethargic for a day, but gets over it by the next day). Could that be related to his awkward wing?
I examined his wing and felt it over, thinking that maybe it was injured or even broken...I can't really feel anything (or see anything, when I move the feathers away) that looks like his wing is somehow injured, except I noticed that his right awkward wing seems to curve inward more, unlike his normal, straight wing on the left.
Thanks and let me know if there is any other information I can provide that would help.
