Rooster is a Mess

[KatontheLand]

Hey all, after losing our amazing, hard-working rooster this spring, we just took in a young roo from an acquaintance who's just starting out and got a misgendered TSC chick, and isn't allowed to have roosters where she lives. Y'all, this bird is a MESS - he's got knock knees and droopy wings, and I don't know if it's muscular or visual but he doesn't seem able to get onto or off of even small things (a hay bale, my knees, a low roost - he will move as if he wants to jump down, but seems unable to coordinate himself or judge the distance or something, and he also doesn't grip the perch correctly). He also STINKS, and I've checked him for injury and crop issues but I can't find the source of the smell.

So, I'd love your take: is this bad genetics, a nutrient deficiency, a result of lifestyle (maybe being caged from a young age - I don't know anything about his prior life)? I'd also be curious if there are any guesses about his breed; he was apparently sold as a "sapphire olive egger" but that's not a real thing lol (gotta love how these places are branding their colored-egg-laying mutts). We were told he's three months but he's got the biggest comb I've ever seen, a strong crow, and spur buds, so I'd guess more like 5-6 months.

Curious to hear your overall take - I just want him to have the best life possible, and I hope he's not in any distress that I'm not seeing!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Three months? With wattles like that? Ehhhh.... hm.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Y'all, this bird is a MESS - he's got knock knees and droopy wings, and I don't know if it's muscular or visual but he doesn't seem able to get onto or off of even small things (a hay bale, my knees, a low roost - he will move as if he wants to jump down, but seems unable to coordinate himself or judge the distance or something, and he also doesn't grip the perch correctly). He also STINKS, and I've checked him for injury and crop issues but I can't find the source of the smell.

So, I'd love your take: is this bad genetics, a nutrient deficiency, a result of lifestyle (maybe being caged from a young age - I don't know anything about his prior life)?

Welcome To BYC

Give him a bath if he stinks, see if that helps in any way. Use a mild soap.

He's knock kneed. Hard to know if that's due to genetics, something was not corrected when he was just hatched, from an injury or?

I would make a common sense assumption since his legs are a bit skewed, it's possibly his legs are not that stable and may worsen as he gets older and puts on weight. I would also assume that since his legs don't look to be all that stable, he may be cautious in jumping, roosting, etc. Possible it's painful or his legs may feel that they are giving way - I don't know this for sure, but can say personally when I've had things going on with my legs even after healing, I was much more aware/cautious in activities. Make a very low roost available for him or provide a nice soft bedding area for him to lay down in.

Feed him chick starter or an all flock feed. Give him 1/2 tablet B-Complex daily. Likely the vitamins will not help much, but they won't hurt.

The bigger question is, do you need a rooster and what are your goals? I like roosters, but this is not a rooster I would use for breeding if your goal is hatching eggs. If he's a pet, then that's great.

 

[GravityWaves]

I'd also be curious if there are any guesses about his breed; he was apparently sold as a "sapphire olive egger" but that's not a real thing lol

I don't have much to add here, only wanted to say that there is such a thing as a Sapphire Olive Egger. It is a hybrid and some birds can occasionally lay brown eggs.
https://www.hoovershatchery.com/sapphireoliveegger.html

Most birds have a crest, but some are smaller or larger. There aren't many pictures of adult males of this mix on the web so I couldn't say whether or not that's what your new boy is-only that it is possible.

 

[KatontheLand]

Welcome To BYC

Give him a bath if he stinks, see if that helps in any way. Use a mild soap.

He's knock kneed. Hard to know if that's due to genetics, something was not corrected when he was just hatched, from an injury or?

I would make a common sense assumption since his legs are a bit skewed, it's possibly his legs are not that stable and may worsen as he gets older and puts on weight. I would also assume that since his legs don't look to be all that stable, he may be cautious in jumping, roosting, etc. Possible it's painful or his legs may feel that they are giving way - I don't know this for sure, but can say personally when I've had things going on with my legs even after healing, I was much more aware/cautious in activities. Make a very low roost available for him or provide a nice soft bedding area for him to lay down in.

Feed him chick starter or an all flock feed. Give him 1/2 tablet B-Complex daily. Likely the vitamins will not help much, but they won't hurt.

The bigger question is, do you need a rooster and what are your goals? I like roosters, but this is not a rooster I would use for breeding if your goal is hatching eggs. If he's a pet, then that's great.

Yes he's got a comfy place to sleep and, apart from observing his behavior on the perch yesterday, he won't have any need to jump or do activities that make him uncomfortable - I was worried about pain resulting from his conformation, so we'll be extra mindful of that.

And NO, we are absolutely not intending to breed him! Our last rooster did an incredible job of protecting the ladies, so we were hoping for another "working bird," but I don't think he'll be up to the task so he will be a pet only.

I haven't yet added vitamins to his feed but I'll definitely start, thank you!

 

[KatontheLand]

I don't have much to add here, only wanted to say that there is such a thing as a Sapphire Olive Egger. It is a hybrid and some birds can occasionally lay brown eggs.
https://www.hoovershatchery.com/sapphireoliveegger.html

Most birds have a crest, but some are smaller or larger. There aren't many pictures of adult males of this mix on the web so I couldn't say whether or not that's what your new boy is-only that it is possible.

That's probably where he came from, I know TSC gets birds from Hoover quite a bit. Still sounds sus to me, who knows what the actual lineage is or how much they paid attention to any quality apart from feather and egg color.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes he's got a comfy place to sleep and, apart from observing his behavior on the perch yesterday, he won't have any need to jump or do activities that make him uncomfortable - I was worried about pain resulting from his conformation, so we'll be extra mindful of that.

And NO, we are absolutely not intending to breed him! Our last rooster did an incredible job of protecting the ladies, so we were hoping for another "working bird," but I don't think he'll be up to the task so he will be a pet only.

I haven't yet added vitamins to his feed but I'll definitely start, thank you!

Even if he's not able to navigate very well, he can still call the alert and warn the ladies of danger.

 

[KatontheLand]

Even if he's not able to navigate very well, he can still call the alert and warn the ladies of danger.

That's true! He'll be out with the hens after his quarantine and whatever his contribution is, is great. Maybe they can teach him to chicken a little better too haha.