What are these lesions on my roo's wattle?

[Plain Old Dee]

About a month ago, I bought some chickens from a guy being forced to sell out and moved. Most of the hens were just pretty much running wild and sleeping in trees. The roosters were kept in smallish coops/cages. My daughter noticed this roo and fell in love with him - just HAD to have him. I wasn't too thrilled about using an OEG rooster, but OH Well! He was the only bird we brought home that night. When daughter reached into the transport cage to get him out, he flew into her face. When she flinched, he made it to freedom. There was NO catching him - so we just let it be. We brought home about a dozen more hens from the same place. Mostly OEGs, but there were some that I can't identify. The guy threw in another rooster - he was my choice - big and beautiful! He gets along with the daughter's other roo very well. (Not the game roo, daughter already had a black roo - we have no idea what breed he is - I'm thinking Langsham?)

At any rate - we noticed that the game roo was still in the vicinity, and started throwing some scratch out for him. He would come up and eat it, but you coudn't get anywhere near him - he would fly away. I've never seen a chicken fly like that! Yesterday, he was sitting on top of a round bale. Daughter managed to sneak up on him and grab him just as he tried to fly off. He is now in a transport/quarantine cage on my front porch. Daughter wants to build him his own coop and put a couple of hens in there with him. I had no problem with that idea.

This morning - I noticed that he had a couple of lesions on one of his wattles. I have had a terrible time with this flock of chickens. The birds I bought from this guy were all just as healthy as can be - but I had also bought some BO and RIR pullets from a breeder that turned out to have some sort of respiratory disease. I just got them to the point that they are all healthy again and I don't want any more issues.

He's eating like a horse and does not act sick at all. He woke me up this morning at sunrise with his beautiful crowing. Could someone look at this and tell me what might be wrong? I hope I'm just being paranoid!

 

[DTchickens]

Hmm.. First i'll say he doesn't appear to be full OEG to me, possibly a cross. Secondly i'll say the sores on his wattles look like he possibly injured them somehow, being pecked by hens or another rooster, getting it caught on wire- there are a million reasons I've seen happen. At first opening this thread i was expecting fowl pox but that isn't the case.

Now, he sounds like he wasn't handled very much, you, your daughter, or someone else may want to handle him at least a couple times a week for I'd say at least 10 minutes.. Eventually he'll calm down.

 

[tulie13]

It doesn't look like pox to me, it does look like a minor injury of some sort. Just keep an eye on it and see if anything "spreads". Some antibiotic ointment on it might help, just don't use anything with a -CAINE type of pain relief in it (benzocaine, lidocaine, procaine).

 

[77horses]

I agree on the minor injury. It looks to me like a minor injury that has scabbed over and is healing.

Good luck!

 

[Plain Old Dee]

He didn't have the black spots when we first got him. He must have got them when he was running wild. At least he's not sick!

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Exacty; I wouldn't worry about it unless he looked to be in pain or it was infected. Our roosters sometimes get a minor injury on their comb, but it always just scabs over and eventually heals up.