Barred Rock roo has INCREDIBLY red butt area

[Fluffy_Feathers]

Hey everyone. I have a ~1 year old barred rock rooster who I just noticed this evening has an incredibly red butt area that extends down his abdomen. It's redder than a strawberry. I'm not too sure if this is a breed thing since he is my only barred rock, so maybe this is kind of a noobie question. I haven't looked at his backside in the year that I've had him until just a bit ago. I was spraying elector psp on all my chickens because I found lice on two, so this is the first that I'm seeing it. I'm really not sure if this is normal or not, since I've never seen any of my chickens anywhere near this red before. He wouldn't let me get a super good look, but I was able to tell that there wasn't any wounds, and I didn't really see any build-up around his feathers that would indicate a bad lice infestation on him. I will say, though, that he is extremely mate happy currently and is mounting every chance he gets, so I don't know if that may have something to do with it...? I have a picture attached-- it's not a good one but it shows just how red he is. The picture is also after spraying him so that is why he is wet. If anyone could tell me if that's a normal thing or not I'd appreciate it and will investigate further if it isn't normal. Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Definitely not normal. See if you can get good pics while he is on the roost, also maybe try and get a sample of that redness, maybe on some tissue or paper towel, by blotting it. Don't pull on it.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

Definitely not normal. See if you can get good pics while he is on the roost, also maybe try and get a sample of that redness, maybe on some tissue or paper towel, by blotting it. Don't pull on it.

Thank you. I did as you said with the paper towel and nothing at all came off on it. I got some more pics, I don't know if they're much better but I got different angles at least.

I've only been home on the weekends as a college student, so I'm not super in tune with his normal behavior, but I haven't noticed anything to indicate any kind of illness or distress. They get a 17% all flock feed with separate oyster shells on the side for the hens. For the past 4 or 5 days I've been putting Rooster Booster in their water that has vitamins, electrolytes, and probiotics in it (I have a hen with a physical injury that the mixture is for to help with healing, but I have a lot left over so I just give it to the whole flock). The mixture gets changed daily. They also get some live mealworms about everyday, and they free range at least in the evenings-- though since I've been home as of last Thursday they've been free ranging all day.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well, it looks unusual to me at least, but let's get some more opinions on it.
@coach723
@azygous
@Eggcessive

 

[azygous]

Opinion is all I can offer since I have never seen such a thing. The color alone is inexplicable. The nodules are unexplainable. Therefore, my opinion is that he has abnormal cell growth going on. We call that sort of thing cancer.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm sorry to hear this. A vet could confirm.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

Opinion is all I can offer since I have never seen such a thing. The color alone is inexplicable. The nodules are unexplainable. Therefore, my opinion is that he has abnormal cell growth going on. We call that sort of thing cancer.

Aaah shoot. I suppose if that's the case there's nothing to do but monitor. I think I will try to separate him from the girls for a bit to see if it get's better in case it's a hormone/over-mating issue. If it is cancer then of course that's not going to clear up, so I'll let him get the most out of life and then cull him once he goes downhill. He's been a very good rooster, so hopefully it's some other weird thing going on Thank you for your input!

I'm sorry to hear this. A vet could confirm.

Thank you. A vet isn't really an option, so I'll have to just watch him for now...

 

[azygous]

That was an opinion. Not a diagnosis. That would be nearly impossible from a few crude photos.

It could be an inflammation. I would treat it as a dermatitis for now, soothing oils and Vetericyn wound spray could produce results if it is.

If this gets better, it's not cancer. If it gets worse with treatment, it probably is cancer.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

That was an opinion. Not a diagnosis. That would be nearly impossible from a few crude photos.

It could be an inflammation. I would treat it as a dermatitis for now, soothing oils and Vetericyn wound spray could produce results if it is.

If this gets better, it's not cancer. If it gets worse with treatment, it probably is cancer.

Oh yeah I understand. I don't think most things suggested outside of actual veterinary care are diagnoses lol. I was also thinking about trying some topical stuff to see if that helps. So there's some things I can try, but I'm keeping the cancer idea in the back of my head.

 

[Eggcessive]

Roosters can have very red area on the vent itself. But that looks really inflamed. I have seen hens with very red skin sometimes on the belly. Fever or raging hormones can affect the skin color, causing redness. You can notice his very pink streaks on his legs, which is a sign of fertility. I would watch him, especially if he seems to be acting normal, eating and drinking. Let us know if anything changes.