What's wrong with my rooster?

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Question

What's wrong with my rooster? I have a Buckeye rooster about 8-9 mos. old. Noticed he was lying in the shade on very hot day, 90+.

The guinea's weren't as active as usual either. The next day same thing, another hot day. I picked him up and saw fecal matter on his feathers, white and green (not fluorescent).

He is normally very active with the guineas, caring for them as his flock. He hasn't crowed in 2-3 days. Any ideas?

Answer
The heat is definitely a factor in chicken behavior. Air quality, including humidity, pollens and pollutants can cause chickens to take a break, conserve and store up some energy, while they wait for things to cool off.

It wouldn't be unusual for a chicken to get some droppings on their feathers, when spending a lot of time resting on a hot day. High temperatures are stressful for living things.

Drinking more water than usual, due to heat, will make droppings more loose that normal. Making sure cool water is available in a well shaded area is a good idea.

There is a product that most feed stores carry that offers vitamins and electrolytes. This would be similar to us drinking Gatorade on a hot day to help restore a good balance of minerals on hot days.

Hopefully you will have a break in the heat wave that will allow you to see if your rooster acts more normally. It's unclear if you have other chickens, or just this rooster with a flock of guineas.

I would suggest spending some time observing your flock, making sure there are no issues between guineas and your rooster. Though there are similarities between chickens and guineas, they may not make the most balanced flock.

I'm not a big fan of guineas, so am not very familiar with their flock behavior. If you have any male guineas, there may be some competition between them and the Buckeye Rooster. Hope this helps.

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