I have a 9 month old rooster, I'm not sure what breed as he came from a variety mix at a hatchery. His waddle is turning black and he won't shut his beak. He seems to still be eating and I haven't noticed any abnormal poo. There are some minor peck injuries like a few scabs and a small crack in his beak, but he lives with two other roosters and two male ducks. They rarely bother each other though. We have 10 female chickens, 3 roosters, 2 male ducks and 2 females.
They live in a 5x5x5 two story coop with a 20x15 yard. They forage in the yard all day but have access to layer pellets all day, plenty of water access. At night they all sleep in the coop together, the chickens on one of their roost poles and the ducks each have their own box on the floor under the nesting boxes. The coop is pretty well insulated and they sleep with a heater on cold nights. During the day they have access to a heat lamp to warm and dry their feathers. We just put down a very thick layer of fresh pine bedding in the coop and in their favorite sheltered spot in their yard.
All of the others seem to be just fine. Although we did just get a snap of extremely cold weather, is he getting frostbite or is there a bigger problem going on? What do I do to help him?
They live in a 5x5x5 two story coop with a 20x15 yard. They forage in the yard all day but have access to layer pellets all day, plenty of water access. At night they all sleep in the coop together, the chickens on one of their roost poles and the ducks each have their own box on the floor under the nesting boxes. The coop is pretty well insulated and they sleep with a heater on cold nights. During the day they have access to a heat lamp to warm and dry their feathers. We just put down a very thick layer of fresh pine bedding in the coop and in their favorite sheltered spot in their yard.
All of the others seem to be just fine. Although we did just get a snap of extremely cold weather, is he getting frostbite or is there a bigger problem going on? What do I do to help him?
