Depressed rooster?

[Sissy]

We have a beautiful yellow/black rooster that has always been (ahem) very amorous and stayed quite busy with our 12 hens. But lately, he has been not going into the coop to roost at nite and just squats on the carport or somewhere. Many days he doesn't even stay around the hens at all.

Is this a seasonal thing? We got the chickens last spring, so I don't know their habits.

Also, how on earth can you determine which chickens are laying and which are laying down on the job? 10 of them look alike.

[Wildflower]

How old is he? Maybe he is just slowing down or possibly he is sick...

[Marianne]

Have you wormed them? I had a hen that was not walking around pecking the ground, she'd just hide out under a bush and lay down. A few days later I saw evidence of worms. It took her a while to recover, but she did.

If the hens are that young, I'd bet that they all are laying well. I have mixed breeds, so I can tell who's laying by the egg color, but if yours are all the same, I don't know what you can do.

[CathyA]

I would do this:
Feel his crop and make sure it isn't impacted. Feel his abdomen for swelling, growths, etc. Check out his vent area, neck and under his wings, to be sure he doesn't have mites/lice. If this continues much longer, I would put him in his own cage so you can watch his intake/output and check his poop.
He may have eaten something that is stuck (plastic, metal, etc.).
Do his feathers look okay? How about his comb? Worming can be very hard on chickens. I take a composite stool sample to the vet's about once a year. So if you don't see worms in his stools, you might take a sample to the vet before worming. Lots of things to check!