Rusty Rooster

[Eronica]

Hello, my flock consist of 12 hens and 1 rooster. My young rooster started crowing about 3 weeks ago now- the first few attempts were funny, but after he got the hang of it- his crows were smooth and strong. Recently he started crowing very oddly, not smooth or strong. When he crows it sounds like he runs out of breath to keep it long and strong crow. Apart from that his odd crow sounds shaky, like if maybe he needed to drink some water to clear out his throat. Which I provide clean plentiful water. Rhapsody is the word for his odd crow. His comb and wattle are bright red and he still is active with the flock. He eats and drinks and gives his hens some lovin. So I'm not sure what's going on with his crow... I did read some articles about 'impacted crop' but I haven't come to conclusions if this could be a reason he is crowing oddly and weakly. Any suggestions?

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

@casportpony @Farmer Connie ?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Could be he has a slight respiratory infection, or even just a sore throat from those first crows. I wouldn't worry unless he acts off. It can take a month or two for some to refine their crow.

 

[ShannonR]

I've had one or two roosters suddenly go 'off' on their crows over the years. It always cleared up on its own.

 

[Eronica]

Could be he has a slight respiratory infection, or even just a sore throat from those first crows. I wouldn't worry unless he acts off. It can take a month or two for some to refine their crow.

Chickens can get respiratory infections in the cold too? I live in the suburbs of Chicago and the weather has been on the chilly side- I haven't done a full winterization yet but I have covered up drafts from the coop. What other preventative can I take from respiratory infections, jusy to be on the safe side.

 

[Eronica]

Thank you all who replied, I will keep a close eye on him and hope he's just sore.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens can get respiratory infections in the cold too? I live in the suburbs of Chicago and the weather has been on the chilly side- I haven't done a full winterization yet but I have covered up drafts from the coop. What other preventative can I take from respiratory infections, jusy to be on the safe side.

It isn't necessarily from the cold. It's from the weather shifts which can stress the immune system, and than migrating birds this time of year can spread stuff around. All roosters that I've had lose their voice got it back in a few weeks without looking sick. I wouldn't worry unless you start to see drainage or sneezing.

Definitely get drafts block, but keep good ventilation as dust, and moisture from closing stuff up too much can cause problems too.