The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Doodle777]

I really appreciate your help!
Do you think it could possibly be hormones?
If I gave him penicillin and he didn't need it, would it hurt him?
Sorry if my questions sound silly but I have had zero experience with chickens until now.

 

[Doodle777]

I have been giving him organic garlic granuals and fresh organic chopped up oregano every day.
Nustock?

 

[MumsyII]

Epsom salt soak will draw infection out if it is there. Nu Stock will treat the wound. Iodine or Blue Kote would also be beneficial on a raw wound. Add fresh minced garlic and fresh minced Oregano to his feed. Give him raw bits of liver or something high in protein. Let him heal naturally by bumping his immune system. If he is not acting sick and has good appetite and energy, he is not suffering from infection yet. Is he walking normally? You say it looks uncomfortable. But does he act uncomfortable? Chickens can look pretty bad but they have a high level of pain tolerance.

 

[loveourbirds]

I really appreciate your help!
Do you think it could possibly be hormones?
If I gave him penicillin and he didn't need it, would it hurt him?
Sorry if my questions sound silly but I have had zero experience with chickens until now.

if he's walking on it like nothing is wrong, and you cant find any sign of infection other than the red; i would lean more toward sunburn. especially if he is just regrowing leg feathers.

as far as the penicillin - im sorry to the op, i forgot what thread i was on.

using penicillin the right way typically does not cause any adverse problems in chickens, other than a buildup of immunity to it. using it when its needed is usually fine. using antibiotics weekly for "preventative" reasons is a bad thing, all the way down to softening a chicken's bones.

another issue, if your ever planning on eating him - some people frown on antibiotics.

 

[loveourbirds]

Epsom salt soak will draw infection out if it is there. Nu Stock will treat the wound. Iodine or Blue Kote would also be beneficial on a raw wound. Add fresh minced garlic and fresh minced Oregano to his feed. Give him raw bits of liver or something high in protein. Let him heal naturally by bumping his immune system. If he is not acting sick and has good appetite and energy, he is not suffering from infection yet. Is he walking normally? You say it looks uncomfortable. But does he act uncomfortable? Chickens can look pretty bad but they have a high level of pain tolerance.

not knowing what doodle is dealing with for sure, this sounds like good advice to me.

along with walking ok, does he fly up on the roost? if hes walking and roosting ok, i wouldnt worry much, just give him an immunity boost as mentioned above.

 

[Doodle777]

I only noticed once that he had his left leg up, like it might have been bothering him.
I will get Epsom salt, nustock and iodine first thing in the morning. So I would soak his feet and legs then use the iodine then the nustock?
Just gut up pieces of liver for him? Raw? Sorry, it sounds like I'm dumb but I don't eat meat so I don't have a clue about that either.

 

[Doodle777]

He roosts but I have to put him up there. He doesn't seem to be able to fly very well. The roost is only about 3 or 4 feet up and I always find him on the floor in the morning.
I think he is lonely too. I have 2 welsh harlequin ducks that he hangs with and there fine with him as long as he doesn't get to close.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

He roosts but I have to put him up there. He doesn't seem to be able to fly very well. The roost is only about 3 or 4 feet up and I always find him on the floor in the morning.
I think he is lonely too. I have 2 welsh harlequin ducks that he hangs with and there fine with him as long as he doesn't get to close.

Roosters in my coop are always the first off the roosting bar in the morning. They then proceed to crow causing the hens to start moving around.

 

[Doodle777]

Yes, he likes to start crowing at about 3:45 every morning. It makes me laugh. He has brought a lot of joy to me unexpectedly. I only hope I can do the same for him and get him better so he can have a happy life. I'm thinking about getting him a few hens.

 

[Kassaundra]

The roosters legs definitely to me look like an infection, but if he is eating and drinking and moving around well the infection may be localized to the skin/flesh around the legs and not gone systemic. If the infection is systemic (sepsis) he would be ill acting and need antibiotics, if the infection is localized to the legs supportive care, good nutrition and the things talked about already would help him to heal on his own.

His being lonely is likely chickens are social, however I would not add any new chickens until he is healed.