I have an RIR cockerel about 8 weeks old. I had heard that roosters grow their feathers in slower than hens, but this guy still had a completely bare back, bottom, and the top half of his wings had no feathers either, until just about a week ago they started coming in, but still splotchy. He seemed healthy enough, though, until just a few days ago. I noticed him slowing down. He used to be really active, and the leader of two other EE cockerels. He started losing his place at the top, until finally he was too sluggish to keep up with them and left the group. Then the day after I noticed he wasn't in his group anymore, he got pecked by my older pullets and they pulled all his new feathers out 
That has never happened before and they have all the space in the world, so I think that happened because they saw he was getting weak. Now I have him in his own little recovery place, but he can still see the others and they can still see him. The only visible injury he had was his loss of back feathers. One of his wings was droopy like it was dislocated and he kept tripping on it though, so I bound it with string to get it out of his way. Next day, he's walking funny. It's like he's drunk as a skunk. Also his other wing is droopy too. What is going on?? I don't think he's gonna make it, but I would like to know all the same. He was always a little different. Is there some chicken birth defect or something that could make this happen?
That has never happened before and they have all the space in the world, so I think that happened because they saw he was getting weak. Now I have him in his own little recovery place, but he can still see the others and they can still see him. The only visible injury he had was his loss of back feathers. One of his wings was droopy like it was dislocated and he kept tripping on it though, so I bound it with string to get it out of his way. Next day, he's walking funny. It's like he's drunk as a skunk. Also his other wing is droopy too. What is going on?? I don't think he's gonna make it, but I would like to know all the same. He was always a little different. Is there some chicken birth defect or something that could make this happen?
