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Injured roo or disease symptoms and which?

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vanalpaca:
I hav a roo who appeared to have a broken front toe, he could perch and roost but couldn\'t flatten it out to walk on. A few days later, after he got left out in the garage all night and things were knocked down, his other foot got injured? When I picked him up and tried to set him down on his \'good\' foot the next morning he screamed, so I felt for injury but couldn\'t find any on his \'good\' side and now that foot appears to have a problem. Foot is slightly pulled together......So now he is caged so he doesn\'t get beat up and can eat in peace.

His \'toe problem\' occured a week to 10 days ago. Today I noticed an all wet roo being picked on and his foot \'appears injured\' and he is hopping around getting picked on and it appears to be his toe as he is hobbling like the other did. Guess he fell in the water bowl or got knocked there.

I really couldn\'t find much online. It isn\'t bumblefoot. Could it be an injury since my roos are all together in a coop at night and free range in the yard during the day? These birds are over 36 weeks old?

Also, there really hasn\'t been any wild birds around for most of the winter. But I am noticing that wild birds are up in the trees coming through during the day. Mostly blackbirds/grackles, or starlings?

Any ideas if it isn\'t an injury from the bully boys/other roos? They were fine all winter but featherneck picking has gotten worse since the weather got better??

Thanks!

vanalpaca:
I guess, with keeping the 20 or so roos together all winter and they coming up onto 9 months old, that this is just them getting older and jumping on each other.

They have managed to lame? another roo in the last two weeks, so that makes 2 that can\'t run and have to be penned separate so they don\'t get beat up.

The long toe appears bent and the toes are drawn together. When perching, the 2 roos can use the foot to help perch but they cannot open the foot to walk flat or to run.

The first roo was in the garage overnight and I think he injured the second limb as when I placed him on the ground with his weight on that foot the next day, he screamed. He now hobbles around in his cage and peacefully eats and drinks. The other chickens were keeping him away from the food/water bowls.

I don\'t know if this is just a natural accident/injury, the other roos jumped on them, etc, so much that it caused it, or it could be symptoms of some chicken disease.

I would welcome comments of private messages if you don\'t want to post. I see that over 30 folks have viewed my post but not one idea as to what may be the problem?

I am new to chickens. Help me learn?? Thanks.

Christie Rhae:
Maybe it is time to thin down the cockerel pen?  
Only the strong survive?  I am actually sooo happy to be down to only two ameraucana cockerels.  I am waiting for chicks from  John Blehm...making room for the good ones.   :)

Sharon Yorks:
If it were me, these are the things I would be looking for and questions I would be asking myself: (I have to say that so it doesn\'t appear that I am telling you what you should do or appearing to know anything myself :-)

Are there any other symptoms other that his lame foot: watery eyes or nose, coughing, sores, ruffled feathers...

He is still eating, so that is a good sign. Is he still crowing? The curled up toes may just be a symptom of pain. Is there any heat or swelling in his foot? Any peck marks or cuts on any parts of his feet or face? Does his toe appear broken? Can he curl it with the others?

If you\'re not seeing any other sickness signs, it would be my \"guess\" that he just got injured and it\'s time to separate the males. And maybe if you stand at a distance and watch them for a little while, you may see what\'s going on between them and if there is a gang boss with cohorts trying to eliminate the competition.  

Just a thought.

vanalpaca:
Just got the roos banded. Taking photos so I can cull down to the breeder group and the pasture bug patrol boys. They were together all winter so I could have them big enough to feather in and see who would make it to stud and who would be a total dud....

After talking to some long time chicken folks, there are NO other symptoms of anything wrong with the birds. All healthy and active and the two injured boys are just that.

So they are getting their own condo until they either get better and if they don\'t, I shall have to cull them. I didn\'t know if it was disease and therefore safe to eat them or not?

Now that they have numbers, I can see which boys ALWAYS do the attack/jumping picking. They do like to gang up when they have one on the run.

Now that they are 9 month I can see who makes the grade to Standard. I\'m thinking the ones that got beat on are the better temperment, though.....

Thanks for the response. I wanted to be sure things were still ok with new chicks coming in this spring.

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