Young chicken with a problem

[ning]

I've got a young rooster, now about 10 weeks old, which developed some sort of problem about a week ago.
I found him in the chicken run unable to walk, so I immediately isolated him from his flockmates (another 24, pullets, all the same age).

None of the rest of the flock have shown any problem.

It appeared that the cockerel had a problem with his right leg - he was sort of hopping on the left, but then collapsing to lie down. Balanced with his wings.

He's been eating and drinking just fine. Poop seems normal. His condition seems largely unchanged.

Our main flock, which this young group is expected to graduate into soon, already has a rooster, and originally I wasn't expecting to keep the cockerel - and I'll still probably try to re-home him (though 35 hens is probably more than the one rooster can handle, he's going to be quite the athlete keeping track of them all in the big yard!)... so, I don't really care for the idea of spending money at a vet. Though, he's growing on me; he's in a box in our guest bathroom and calls me occasionally and doesn't sound happy when I leave!

Any idea what the problem could be? No discharge. Normal poops. Normal eating & drinking. Can't walk. Alert.

 

[dickfoster]

I've got a young rooster, now about 10 weeks old, which developed some sort of problem about a week ago.
I found him in the chicken run unable to walk, so I immediately isolated him from his flockmates (another 24, pullets, all the same age).

None of the rest of the flock have shown any problem.

It appeared that the cockerel had a problem with his right leg - he was sort of hopping on the left, but then collapsing to lie down. Balanced with his wings.

He's been eating and drinking just fine. Poop seems normal. His condition seems largely unchanged.

Our main flock, which this young group is expected to graduate into soon, already has a rooster, and originally I wasn't expecting to keep the cockerel - and I'll still probably try to re-home him (though 35 hens is probably more than the one rooster can handle, he's going to be quite the athlete keeping track of them all in the big yard!)... so, I don't really care for the idea of spending money at a vet. Though, he's growing on me; he's in a box in our guest bathroom and calls me occasionally and doesn't sound happy when I leave!

Any idea what the problem could be? No discharge. Normal poops. Normal eating & drinking. Can't walk. Alert.

Chicken and dumplings?

 

[Looking4new]

I've got a young rooster, now about 10 weeks old, which developed some sort of problem about a week ago.
I found him in the chicken run unable to walk, so I immediately isolated him from his flockmates (another 24, pullets, all the same age).

None of the rest of the flock have shown any problem.

It appeared that the cockerel had a problem with his right leg - he was sort of hopping on the left, but then collapsing to lie down. Balanced with his wings.

He's been eating and drinking just fine. Poop seems normal. His condition seems largely unchanged.

Our main flock, which this young group is expected to graduate into soon, already has a rooster, and originally I wasn't expecting to keep the cockerel - and I'll still probably try to re-home him (though 35 hens is probably more than the one rooster can handle, he's going to be quite the athlete keeping track of them all in the big yard!)... so, I don't really care for the idea of spending money at a vet. Though, he's growing on me; he's in a box in our guest bathroom and calls me occasionally and doesn't sound happy when I leave!

Any idea what the problem could be? No discharge. Normal poops. Normal eating & drinking. Can't walk. Alert.

Might be he is wore out?

 

[General Lee]

Might just be an injury.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I have had over 150 chickens in the last 3 years, I have had a few that act funny for awhile but have never nursed one like this.

Chickens have a pecking order, he may have injured his foot in a fight with another rooster or a dominate hen, as long as he's eating and drinking good he should recover just fine.

I have 3 roosters for 25 birds only because mine free range 24/7 365 now and have been for the last 6-7 months, I may have lost 3 in that time, my cattle chase off most predators, they were observed chasing a fox 3 days ago that was after my chickens.

If you don't free range, 20 hens per rooster is a good number, when there free ranging roosters are good at watching for predators.

My hens split up and usually one rooster goes per group, I noticed they free range close to the cattle (mine or my neighbors) and I know why now.

I would give him some time to recover, may take a few weeks.

He could have injured it landing also, chickens are not graceful flyers and they like to fly down from high heights instead of hopping. In the coop be sure to leave them enough room to fly down, if they have lots of obstacles to navigate there more prone to injury.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I'd say leg injury. If you can check him out, feel the leg all the way up to the top of the thigh, test the travel of the leg joints, feel the leg bones. He may have just sprained something, or either been stepped on or attacked. He may recover on his own, or he may not.

 

[Streetcar]

I had turkey that dislocated hip. It had similar symptoms. Hip never completely healed and turkey was put down

 

[ning]

I've figured it's an injury. I thought his hip was dislocated as things felt different one side to the other, but there's still a good solid connection (no floppy leg).

The injury, presuming it's such, was probably self-inflicted somehow; there's only the one rooster, and he's 10 weeks old, and I haven't seen any of the little birds (they're separate from the big birds right now) doing much more than flapping around and running, but I can imagine a rough landing.

I figure I'll give him some more time to recover... he could be useful when I let the young ones free range which should be in the next week or so. Otherwise... well there's really not much meat on the fellow at this point.

 

[stuckmotor]

Is he eating commercial feed? When I was a kid I fed my chickens nothing but corn for a while and every so often a hen would get down. Putting her on commercial feed got her goin again. I figured it was a nutrient deficiency.

 

[ning]

Is he eating commercial feed? When I was a kid I fed my chickens nothing but corn for a while and every so often a hen would get down. Putting her on commercial feed got her goin again. I figured it was a nutrient deficiency.

I've been using Scratch n' Peck's Starter. You've got a good point there though, I'll try some supplements for a bit and see if it changes anything.

I realize there's some of you shaking your heads at me trying to fix a cockerel, but part of this is concern about the rest of the young flock - if this is illness or food related, I could expect any of the others to have the same thing happen (though there's obviously variation between birds, and assuming it's not injury). I'm also inquisitive and like to know why, it becomes a problem to solve.