Does anyone know what’s going on with my rooster?

[GeekiJenni]

I went to check on my rooster (Chunky) the other day and noticed he was walking funny. I had a couple friends come over and help me get a look at him. Come to find out he has this big white thing on his stomach! We gave him and epsom salt soak and tried to clean it and treat it. We even separated him from my hens and the spot healed over about a week later. The new issue now is he’s still walking funny and is more aggressive than he used to be. Anyone know how I can help him?

The photo of him on the flock block is how he used to be…

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I went to check on my rooster (Chunky) the other day and noticed he was walking funny. I had a couple friends come over and help me get a look at him. Come to find out he has this big white thing on his stomach! We gave him and epsom salt soak and tried to clean it and treat it. We even separated him from my hens and the spot healed over about a week later. The new issue now is he’s still walking funny and is more aggressive than he used to be. Anyone know how I can help him?

The photo of him on the flock block is how he used to be…

Welcome To BYC

Looks like he has a breast blister. Did it have pus in it?

Did he injure himself when you caught and separated him out?

A video of how he moves may be helpful - walking funny can mean a lot of different things.

Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you clip some feathers away from that on both sides and post another picture? And I will tag some of our educators and see if they think that looks like a tumor. Thry may not respond until morning. Meanwhile, a few questions. Did he object or react to you handling it? Does it feel firm, or soft and squishy? What do you feed your flock, including treats? Is a vet a possibility? Is that lesion completely gone now?

I suggest taking him off the roost at night to examine or treat him, rather than chasing and trying to catch him by day. Much less stress on everyone involved.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is Chunky? The white area does look like a breast blister as Wyorp Rock posted. Those occur from pressure on the keel bone and may become abscessed. Lying on wet or soiled bedding, muddy conditions, or spending a lot of time on a hard or rough roost can make it worse. I saw one on a rooster who was in a bachelor pen, and the other two roosters would not let him get off the roost to eat or drink, or walk around their large pen. I would clean it with Betadine or Hibiclens daily. Make sure bedding is dry and clean, and check his roost in case it needs to be padded.

If you can upload a short video of how he is walking to YoutTube, that may be helpful. Do his legs both look normal from the front, or does either one look bowed out or knock kneed?

 

[GeekiJenni]

The spot is gone and his walk is more like a limp because he won’t put any weight on his right foot. His toes are curled and when he does try to walk it’s like a quick tip toe. When he had the spot its was firm and squishy at the same time. He still limps and is separated from my hens for the time being since we don’t really know what’s going on with him and he’s become very aggressive and I’m nervous about the idea of putting him back in with my girls.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is he under a year old? Have you added any new birds to the flock in recent months? Was he vaccinated for Mareks? If you can get some human vitamin B complex tablets, give him 1/2 tablet crushed in a little wet chicken feed or cooked egg daily to treat the curled under toes. If he is not putting weight in his leg and the toes are curled under, he may have an injury with some nerve damage. Mareks also could cause those symptoms, but it usually affects young chickens under a year of age unless recently exposed in the past couple of months.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Have you checked for bumble foot?

 

[GeekiJenni]

We’ve checked for bumble foot and he doesn’t have it or any signs of it. There’s no new chickens in the flock whatsoever. I believe the hatchery vaccinated them before we got them. I’ll have to try the vitamin b and see if it helps.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Aggression might be secondary to pain. Consider joint pain if you don’t see any superficial swelling or lesions. It could be something like septic arthritis, if that abscess allowed bacteria into the blood stream. But you’ll often see multiple swollen joints, fever, and feeling ill. You could try the aspirin dissolved in his drinking water for pain management not sure on dose. Inspect the leg from toe to hip joint, feel and palpate everything, compare to good leg if necessary, watch for heat, pain (he flinches or gets nasty) and swelling, flex the joints, may help localize problem.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

his walk is more like a limp because he won’t put any weight on his right foot. His toes are curled and when he does try to walk it’s like a quick tip toe.

Please post clear well lit photos of his feet, bottom of the feet and a good profile photo of how he stands.

Any Frostbite?

You can give him 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily to help with leg support.