My rooster has lost his appetite and eats the strangest of things

[Chickenunsernam]

I have rooster (Francis) that I got a few weeks ago. He was fine and had an astounding appetite- he'd eat anything and everything...literally.

I found him once eating bits of burnt wood and just recently he was eating sand! I'm really worried, I've never had a chicken or rooster with this type of behaviour.

Right now he's not feeling well. He just stands (or sits) in place and sleeps. He doesn't move around much and only eats some corn and then back to sleep. His appetite is getting worse.

I've set him apart from the others (because the chickens and roosters were enforcing the pecking order- and many times they don't let him eat. I have to separate him from everyone else to eat.)

I'm not sure what the problem is exactly, but I have some ideas:

1. Could he have worms because of the weird stuff he eats? or maybe a crop infection or something?
2. Depressed because everyone bullies him? He usually hangs out with a chicken that has a slight limp because of a past injury; and while she does peck him they seem to get along still. Recently though he hasnt been hanging out with her because I've set her apart from the other chickens.
3. December is coming along and its been getting a bit chilly (though I live in a sub tropical region). Since his neck is bare could the cold be bothering him that much?


He has no injuries, no sneezing, or vomiting, a clean vent, nothing apparent in his eyes. Nothing and I'm not sure what to do.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[pineapple416]

Is his breed a Naked Neck? I would treat him for worms just in case and see where that gets you. He also could have ingested something that made him sick. He looks fairly healthy and it is good that he is still eating some corn. If he stops eating you could try to give him some scrambled eggs or yogurt if he will take them. Might not be a bad idea now. The scrambled eggs have lots of protein and nutrients and the yogurt has probiotics. Only plain unsweetened yogurt is good for chickens. Make sure he is drinking water too, this is very important. He could be getting cold as well. I'm not 100% sure why he is acting this way. You have good ideas though, I would just keep an eye on him and see how he does. Is he still crowing? I've noticed that only when my roosters got pretty sick they stopped crowing. Good luck hope this helps

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My guess would be crop or gizzard blockage. Can you tell is the crop full at roost and empty in the morning? Or squishy?

A symptom checker, diagnosing tool...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

Do you know how old he is? Maybe he was hungry or bored at his other place causing him to eat weird things. But give a chicken a chance and they will eat all kinds of stuff. Plastic pieces, styrofoam, cardboard.. just to name a few. What do you use for grit? What do you feed including treats and supplement? How many birds for how much space?
He's a handsome NN.

Hope he feels better!

 

[lazy gardener]

Eating charred wood is normal. Lots of good nutrients there! Just be sure you've not EVER burned pressure treated wood! Eating sand is normal. Does your flock have access to grit? I'd not treat him for worms unless a fecal float tells you worms are present. It's never wise to simply throw medication at an animal, hoping you might get it right! You would need to know what kind of worms are present to even pick the right medication.

Try wetting down his food, and see if that makes a difference. Make it the consistency of cooked oatmeal or mashed potatoes.

Consider fermenting your flock's feed: there's a how and why article (not written by me) in my signature.

The stress of the move to a new flock may have kicked a latent disease into active mode.

 

[lazy gardener]

See last sentence for edit.

 

[chickencheeper]

Is he a naked neck? Looks like a barred rock that has been severely bullied to me. Do they have plenty of oyster shell grit? Maybe he’s not being allowed to eat by the other chickens and that’s why he’s resorting to eating weird stuff.
I don’t know a lot about pecking order with roosters maybe @aart can help us here.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Is he a naked neck? Looks like a barred rock that has been severely bullied to me.

I've raised NN and Rocks... that is NN, I'm 100% positive. He's got a bow tie meaning he doesn't have 2 copies of the dominant NN gene, but only one. I'm not sure if it's called cuckoo or barred in this breed. I actually like the bow tie look.

Also, NN Turken are VERY cold hardy despite their lack of feathers. The guy who processes our meat now said the skin on the neck was VERY thick and that they had an extra layer of fat near the rump area. So cold shouldn't be a problem... but it CAN be if they are under the weather.

Corn is crap for nutrients... I would stop feeding it at least until he feels better. Hook him up with some protein if that's all he's eaten in a while (scrambled egg, meal worms, tuna, canned mackerel). The amino acids in the protein is what's important. Although corn is the majority of what's in feed, it has added vitamins and minerals along with other things that make it balanced and formulated to meet the needs of chickens. What else you feed is important. Poor nutrition can be the cause of SOOOO many things in the chicken world.

I also agree with the poster who said drinking is of the utmost importance. Dehydration will kill much faster than lack of nutrients but also make it hard for those nutrients to be carried and absorbed. It can impact every single bodily function.

OP... why was that cockerel's friend separated from the other chickens? (he isn't a rooster until 1 year old, and looks much younger than that to me).

 

[Chickenunsernam]

Is his breed a Naked Neck? I would treat him for worms just in case and see where that gets you. He also could have ingested something that made him sick. He looks fairly healthy and it is good that he is still eating some corn. If he stops eating you could try to give him some scrambled eggs or yogurt if he will take them. Might not be a bad idea now. The scrambled eggs have lots of protein and nutrients and the yogurt has probiotics. Only plain unsweetened yogurt is good for chickens. Make sure he is drinking water too, this is very important. He could be getting cold as well. I'm not 100% sure why he is acting this way. You have good ideas though, I would just keep an eye on him and see how he does. Is he still crowing? I've noticed that only when my roosters got pretty sick they stopped crowing. Good luck hope this helps

Thanks for replying!

Yes he's a naked neck. I'll treat him for worms though I hadnt thought of the yoghurt. That's great, I'll try to see if he will eat it. Well, he's only ever crowed once since he's still pretty young (I'm not sure of his age.) and hasnt crowed ever again.
Perhaps I confused his crow with the other young rooster I have.

 

[Chickenunsernam]

Eating charred wood is normal. Lots of good nutrients there! Just be sure you've not EVER burned pressure treated wood! Eating sand is normal. Does your flock have access to grit? I'd not treat him for worms unless a fecal float tells you worms are present. It's never wise to simply throw medication at an animal, hoping you might get it right! You would need to know what kind of worms are present to even pick the right medication.

Try wetting down his food, and see if that makes a difference. Make it the consistency of cooked oatmeal or mashed potatoes.

Consider fermenting your flock's feed: there's a how and why article (not written by me) in my signature.

The stress of the move to a new flock may have kicked a latent disease into active mode.

Woah, I didnt know that was normal. Thanks for telling me.
Okay, so I'll be wary of worms. I havent medicated him yet (since Im not sure what might be going on with him) I gave him wet oatmeal this morning (my chickens go crazy over oatmeal) and he ate it really well! I was so relieved. I'll keep feeding him like this and giving him water.

I'll check out the article. Thanks!

 

[Chickenunsernam]

I've raised NN and Rocks... that is NN, I'm 100% positive. He's got a bow tie meaning he doesn't have 2 copies of the dominant NN gene, but only one. I'm not sure if it's called cuckoo or barred in this breed. I actually like the bow tie look.

Also, NN Turken are VERY cold hardy despite their lack of feathers. The guy who processes our meat now said the skin on the neck was VERY thick and that they had an extra layer of fat near the rump area. So cold shouldn't be a problem... but it CAN be if they are under the weather.

Corn is crap for nutrients... I would stop feeding it at least until he feels better. Hook him up with some protein if that's all he's eaten in a while (scrambled egg, meal worms, tuna, canned mackerel). The amino acids in the protein is what's important. Although corn is the majority of what's in feed, it has added vitamins and minerals along with other things that make it balanced and formulated to meet the needs of chickens. What else you feed is important. Poor nutrition can be the cause of SOOOO many things in the chicken world.

I also agree with the poster who said drinking is of the utmost importance. Dehydration will kill much faster than lack of nutrients but also make it hard for those nutrients to be carried and absorbed. It can impact every single bodily function.

OP... why was that cockerel's friend separated from the other chickens? (he isn't a rooster until 1 year old, and looks much younger than that to me).

So much information- this is amazing! Thank you.
Well, Where I live there isnt exactly a place where there is vitamin enriched feed like the ones I see advertised with Purina. Here corn is the main thing chickens and other birds like geese and turkey are fed since no one really....keeps them as pets like I do and well because its so much cheaper.

I try to give them all cooked vegetables, rice, oats, and fruits. I thought eggs were bad for them but now that I know I'll feed Francis some. Thanks for the info.

Do you mean the black chicken at the back of the photo? That's a hen of mine that has a slight limp- so to stop the other roosters from chasing her around I take turns and separate them. One week the chicken, one week the young rooster.
Francis doesnt give any issues though- I only separated him because I was worried it might be something serious and I want to monitor him more closely.

Thanks for the info- really appreciate it!