Stressed rooster acting crazy

[Amelia Egghart]

Permethrin spray concentrate, love it!  See the new thread about it, used instead of the dust.  Mary

I read up on that and on enzymatic stuff. Trip to the feed store soon and see what they have!

 

[aart]

Quote: If you found no bugs...and have spread Sevin around.......then bugs are not your problem.
Applying more pesticides is unnecessary and could cause resistance.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Nero is my 1.5 year old Easter egger rooster. I'm concerned there's something wrong.

1. I think he's molting but it's not going head to tail, he's lost tail and wing feathers and a bunch of body fluff. Have only seen a few new feathers growing but he doesn't have any bare patches (other than no tail).

2. He paces, crows more frequently and behaves agitated.

3. His eyes which are usually looking around between the girls, the ground and the sky are looking out and wide.

4. He's preening, but not well. He's dirty and has feathers out of place even though he spends time grooming himself.

5. It's been unseasonably hot (100F). Although now it's evening and has cooled, he's still panting after the girls have stopped.

Am I just seeing a rooster stressed from a long molt and hot weather? Or something more sinister?

I miss my big, beautiful boy!


I don't see you mention that he is eating/drinking. I do see you mention panting. He may be suffering from heat distress and dehydration. Offer him some poultry electrolytes for one day, after that give him some poultry vitamins for a couple of days. After you have made sure he is well hydrated, offer wet feed with some hard boiled/scrambled egg.

Try to provide cold water and cool treats like watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, etc.

When he is back to eating and drinking well, then treat for mite/lice and/or worms.

Just my thoughts

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Good feedback, thank you.

He is eating/drinking/pooping normally. Frozen melon, water buckets with ice added, wading pool, shady mud, mister... All available and he took advantage of everything. I use electrolytes and probiotics in the water once a week plus they have a balanced feed.

Even with all that he's acting strange but it's his first adult molt (and mine too) so it could just be that.

The sevin is only on the perimeter of the coop and the perches are treated with vetrx and don't touch the walls. Even with that precaution I see brown and black widows in there all the time. But they are EVERYWHERE here.

I'll still stock up on some safe pesticide spray just in case. And I have a feather shampoo that's got herbal stuff in it that should deter some bugs at least if it looks like he needs a bath. That's a huge stress source though, so only if he needs it needs it, at which point I'd probably add a dip at the end as well, or use the spray.

Thanks! He's still acting agitated this morning but not panting, so he cooled down overnight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hmmm... could be the molt, but if he is agitated, look around to make sure something (snake, rat, squirrel, dog, cat, etc.) is not lurking.

I know my rooster has been a bit more "hyper vigilant" with the changing weather/season here in NC. (he's starting molt as well-so maybe feels a bit "vulnerable'?) Squirrels are in the Hickory and Oak trees/gathering nuts not far from the coop/run, he is still attentive to the girls, but has really upped his patrol and watches those trees and the routes the squirrels are making. He chatters and squalls when leaves fall from the trees. Anything like that happening in FL?
Just a thought.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

You know, the neighborhood cat has been waltzing through here recently. And it's the same season he lost two flock mates last year. Don't know how much, if any, he remembers of the attack but we're extra vigilant due to the number of coyote attacks being reported locally. His level of...anxiety I guess... Isn't at the height I see for a predator though. So maybe an annoyance? Mice? The new birds are maturing and starting to lay. They could be releasing hormones that are wonking him out. It's weird that he wants nothing to do with the new girls, he just eats their food!!

...which is higher protein... So that brings me back to molting?

I think I just talked in a circle! LOL

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Seriously, thanks for the ideas, keep em coming! I like thinking this way!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You know, the neighborhood cat has been waltzing through here recently. And it's the same season he lost two flock mates last year. Don't know how much, if any, he remembers of the attack but we're extra vigilant due to the number of coyote attacks being reported locally. His level of...anxiety I guess... Isn't at the height I see for a predator though. So maybe an annoyance? Mice? The new birds are maturing and starting to lay. They could be releasing hormones that are wonking him out. It's weird that he wants nothing to do with the new girls, he just eats their food!!

...which is higher protein... So that brings me back to molting?

I think I just talked in a circle! LOL

He may benefit from a higher protein feed like all flock/flock raiser. I feed an all flock formula year round and provide oyster shell free choice for my girls.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Thanks everyone, it's been a month. During that time he's pretty much come out of molt and started paying attention to the girls again. The girls are molting heavily now, so everyone is on starter feed with oyster shell on the side for those few who are still laying. He seems more himself and more chickeny so I'm hoping his distress was due to the hot weather and first molt.

He had a bit of a wheeze the other day so I cleaned the coop again and found more teeny tiny spiders! I did notice the webs returning quickly even with all that pesticide. I'll have to keep up vacuuming the crevices and maybe try filling all the gaps. They've gotta be spiderlings, but they don't look like brown or black widow, which are the adults I commonly find.

That's all! Thanks for the input. They're doing well on the higher protein feed for now. I have a bunch of options in my kit for future issues.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Do you have any other roosters?

I have herad of roosters get detroned become very stressed and seem very sick.

it could be the hot weather,100 F is a LOT to take in for a chick 80 F is a lot for a chicken.