How important is physical touch?

You're so welcome! In our flocks, we do basically do small health checks daily, this would be just looking over their eyes, toes, combs/wattles. Our gents have moved inside with us now (just getting enrichment time outside at this point) so we wind up inspecting vents twice daily at diaper change time, but prior to that I'd say I checked them every few days. This time of year, I like to do more frequent vent checks because of the danger of fly strike (if you aren't familiar with it, be cautious looking up any photos, it's quite horrifying). The gist of it is that flies can be drawn to poop collected against the skin near the vent (or any open wounds, even those that might not yet have been identified), injury or contact with droppings makes the skin weak and sensitive, and those flies will be attracted to lay eggs in that area. These then hatch into maggots that feed on the damaged living tissue. Any time there's significant fly presence, I'm checking butts like it's my second job. This could likely be done on the roost at night as well if needed, if it's something you think could be a risk in your area.

As for full checks (ears, bottoms of feet, under wings and at feather bases for signs of mites/lice, etc) I would think weekly would be ideal. The main thing is to think of the time it takes to remedy the specific issues you're checking for, if worst case you do find signs of any. For instance, if someone has a small cut festering on their foot pad, how long will it take for that to become full blown bumble foot. If a respiratory infection is brewing, how long could that continue before they're in a terrible place. You want the time between checks not to exceed that length of time. Remember, chickens are stoic and are known to hide symptoms of illness until things are very progressed. Early detection really is the key to effective treatment for many ailments. Even though something like bumble or RI would eventually be noticed through things like limping, wheezing, lethargy, etc. the odds are good that by that point it will be a very uphill battle getting it under control, and it may not even be possible anymore by that point. So what we're aiming to do is confirm no "hidden" symptoms or maladies are present frequently enough that we'd catch signs while they're still very early, and have time to treat before it gets out of control. Checking droppings regularly, at least daily, is fantastic as well as it can give you sort of a guide to their normal patterns, and therefore alert you if anything suddenly changes. Just take note of who's roosting where at night when you go to lock up, then look under the roost once they're out for the day to confirm all looks normal and nobody has any signs of potential issues. Do note, chicken droppings naturally vary in size, color, and consistency depending on what they've eaten and their water consumption. A change isn't a definite sign of a problem, just something to watch and maybe look into further, especially if you can't see a good explanation for the change. Runny droppings on a very hot day make sense, increased water intake. Runny droppings in winter would be a much greater cause for concern. If you need to start with less frequent checks it's still far better than none, but just keep in mind however long you wait between them will determine how long a potential problem would have to develop and worsen.

It can definitely be overwhelming reading all the health related horror stories, but remember, you only see the stories of the people who are running into issues. The keepers (and there are a great many) who are having no problems have no reason to get online and seek help. It's like bad reviews, customers who have no complaints often don't say anything so the feedback winds up warped. Also, as the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and so many of these things can be prevented or be easily remedied just by keeping a good close eye on the flock, learning their norm, and not dismissing any sudden or unexpected changes to it. I once recognized that one of our girls had a problem simply because she spent maybe an extra minute on the coop patio when the other ladies were busy getting up on the roost. She had no visible problem, looked completely normal, but she seemed to be stalling. It was unlike her to be reluctant to get settled in, so we brought her inside, looked her over more closely, and noticed her vent was pulsing with some clear discharge. Best guess was egg binding based on that presentation, so we put her in a warm soak. Sure enough, maybe 15 minutes later she laid a soft shell egg in my lap that she had been struggling to pass. That was only possible because I had carefully watched and learned her routine. Often with egg binding, it worsens as they work and work to pass it and exhaust themselves. They can run themselves so into the ground that they no longer have the energy to try and having an egg they can't pass becomes an emergency quickly as it keeps them from pooping. Letting her continue to exhaust herself overnight could have really worsened that prognosis. Delaying going to roost isn't a classic sign of a problem, but for her it was odd and that's always a red flag to look into things further. Note how they walk, how they nap, what time of day they engage in certain activities (10 am or so is chickie nap time over here), what treats they never refuse. The more of these patterns you can identify, the easier it will be to notice when they're "off". That same girl in our flock never turns down a black soldier fly, except when she's unwell. Not finishing every scrap is a sure sign something's up. Our roosters on the other hand leave some of their treats every day, for them it's completely normal and no cause for alarm.

When it comes to checking them in the coop, I would recommend having a helper with you and using a headlamp or having them hold a phone with the flashlight on and directing it where you're working. Keep in mind that the more you light the coop itself, the easier time he would have responding, so you want dim light to get in there and directed light while actually checking him. I often use my phone flashlight to navigate around the flock after dark, and have great success just putting my index finger over most of the light. That way I can reduce it to give just enough light for me to faintly see the floor in front of me, while not giving off so much light as to disturb the sleeping flocks. Once you are ready to look him over, you can use the full light of the flashlight, but keep it nearer his body and directed right where you're working. You know how when you go outside at night and look at something like a phone screen, you're basically blind to everything around you? That same thing happens to roosters. If your light is illuminating the ceiling and uniformly lighting the space, he'll have quite good vision. However, if a relatively bright light is between him and you, he will have a hard time making out that you're even back there.

The main reason I say to have your hands free and a helper present is just in case he were to jump down, or even lose his balance and fall down. You don't want to be trying to navigate that solo and having to choose between using both hands and being able to see him. So the first time you try this, you have your helper, and you'll want to approach the coop slowly, talk gently to let him know it's you (he'll recognize your voice) and open the coop cautiously in case he were to jump down. It's very unlikely that he will, but if he were going to do it he would be much more likely to act as soon as he hears sound outside. So you probably wouldn't even be in there and exposed, you would just possibly need to have a way to get in and get him back on the roost. The vast majority of roosters will not jump down after dark, but I have an odd boy who used to leap into the pitch black the moment he heard the gate open or footsteps outside the coop. He seemed to be concerned that whatever was outside could be a problem and was abnormally willing to rush off blind to defend. It's worth noting, he never really managed to do anything but blindly peck, there were never kicks in these situations, and none of our other boys have ever dreamed of reacting that way. Even with him, this would stop once he realized it was just us. Again, highly unlikely your boy will do anything like this, but just test carefully before you fully enter to be sure he's staying settled when he first hears the sound of your arrival/the door being accessed. We can't know for sure how he'll react the first time, so caution is called for, but odds are very good it will go perfectly smoothly and become an easy thing to do moving forward.

As always, if you have any questions or run into any issues just let me know. I'm always happy to help!

Thanks so much for such a detailed and thorough response! Apologies for the delayed response, I needed to let it sink in a bit before replying, as it was a lot of information! Based on your knowledgeable input, it does seem like we should try and work on being able to handle them to ensure their good health. Can I ask how often you do the health checks? I'm guessing all the time if you handle them daily, but what would be ideal you think - monthly? Weekly?

We have only just fully integrated our newer rooster with our original two, so will give them a couple more weeks of no new stressors/change, then will start to try handling them a little. Thanks for the tip re doing it at night, that's very good to know! It is a little (read: lot!) overwhelming hearing all the things that can go wrong, but I guess we have to start somewhere and just build from that.

Also just in response to your other comments, we have no hens (only roos) so some of your comments aren't applicable to us (but maybe useful to others). And I didn't make our setup very clear, they're not "true" free rangers, ie. they are in a fenced run in our yard, but it's quite big, so it's the equivalent size of them having the back yard in a suburban block. The only risks they have are birds of prey and snakes, but like you, we keep an eye on them (and never leave them out there if we are out). Thankfully it's close to the house and we have lots of crows (apparently birds of prey don't like crows) so we feel like the risk is acceptable (for the freedoms and joy it gives them).

Thank you so much again, it's so hard to find any people who know about roosters (especially as pets, not food or for mating). I look forward to becoming a better roo mum with your guidance 😀

Hi Christine, thank you so much for taking those sweet boys in and for all you're doing to provide them a safe and happy life! I'll just touch on the considerations when it comes to both handling and things like spur maintenance, because of course there are pros and cons to weigh and individual temperaments and environment should always be a factor in these kinds of decisions.

When it comes to handling, there are a great many benefits to working to tame down flock members and get to a point where handling is welcomed. You're absolutely right, however, that it's important to go about this in a way that won't damage trust or inspire fear. Your boys' situation isn't entirely normal, given the past trauma they're working through, so it would be important to proceed with caution. The primary reason physical examinations are so important is because chickens are stoic by nature, this means they suppress signs of injury and illness as a survival strategy. Not only does a weak bird more readily draw the attention of predators, but they risk being exiled by the flock (as the others know they're likely to attract that unwanted attention to the group as a whole). It can be very difficult to identify problems just through observation. Now I have found that birds who are alone, say when removed to a separate area for treatment, are more willing to exhibit symptoms clearly. The difficulty here is that they would have to be away from not just humans but flock members as well, so we're talking observation by something like baby monitor or security camera while they're solo. This of course would require catching and removing them to an isolated area for monitoring. Since your flock free ranges, security cameras outside likely wouldn't be particularly helpful unless they were isolating away from the flock in a place like the coop. In cases where they're isolating, that alone is typically a sign something is wrong.

So I would encourage working with them to get to a point that they can easily be handled, but in the meantime it might work to give a once over on the roost after dark (working with just a small flashlight or similar). They're typically quite subdued and accepting once the sun sets and they're settled, as their night vision is very poor. Look particularly at their eyes, ears and nares to ensure they're clean and free of drainage of any kind. If you look just behind their eye, at about a 45 degree downward angle, you'll note a stiff oval of feathers. Their ear hole is just under this, and can be seen clearly if you gently brush those feathers forward towards their beak. There should be no clumps of material or obstructions in that cavity. If possible, check the pads of their feet for any areas of swelling, redness, or scabs. Check the bases of the feathers under their wings, on their neck, and around their vent to confirm there's no sign of parasites. You should see no clumps at the feather bases (clumps could indicate eggs) and no creepy crawlies in the area. As we move into spring, fly-strike becomes a greater danger if they happen to have any stuck poop near the vent. If you haven't heard of this condition, I would advise against pulling up pictures, as some are quite horrendous. Essentially, the poop can attract flies to tender and irritated skin which they will lay their eggs on, resulting in maggots hatching and feeding on the area. This condition can be, and often is, fatal so I make a habit of religiously checking vents in seasons with high fly presence, both to ensure they're clean and to confirm there are no issues taking hold. You can also check their preen glands, which look like a tiny thumb just at the base of the tail. You may have to fish around a bit to find it, but if you've watched them preen and seen them stick their beak into the feathers at the tail base and make a nibbling motion, what they're doing is extracting oil from that gland to coat their feathers. Watching where they reach to access this could direct you to more easily locate it. A preen gland should have just a gently mounded base, be the same yellowish/pink as their other skin, and not be red or inflamed. These can on occasion become impacted which can lead to infection, so it's just one thing on the list I like to keep a bit of an eye on and ensure it's looking healthy. I would recommend having a kennel on hand, or something similar, that they can be taken to worst case should anything be found to be amiss during that inspection. As reassurance, I find that most chickens seem to understand (perhaps just intuitively) when what we're doing is to help or care for them. I've had to do some treatments on flock members that I was sure they would hold against me, but they never have. They seem to understand when our intentions are good and our focus is on protecting them.

With spur trimming, it's a bit of a tough call. With free-ranging flocks it's absolutely a survival tool and one that I would be reluctant to deprive them of. The dangers of leaving the spurs sharp would be risk of injury to hens during mating and risk of injury to other males during disputes. We as keepers can do a good job keeping safe by donning appropriate attire when boys are allowed to keep their spurs sharp, but the others in the flock don't have the same kind of protection. Saddles can help prevent spur injury for the hens, but can have the drawback of posing a risk of entanglement. In a run with nothing to get caught on this is less a concern, but when free-ranging the terrain may present a greater danger of that issue. Sometimes saddles can scare predators and deter them from approaching, but they can also make them easier to spot, so again there are pros and cons. Unfortunately, there's really no way to prevent risk of injury to other roosters when spurs aren't dulled. If they're able to injure and even kill a predator, they will necessarily be capable of doing the same to each other. This really comes down to a personal decision and requires weighing goals with the flock and those risks vs benefits of different settings and activities. The free ranging presents a great benefit in terms of enrichment and freedom, but does come at a greater risk of harm. Penning deprives them of some ability to express natural behaviors, but provides a much greater ability to ensure everyone is kept safe (not just from predators but from each other as well). Penning would also facilitate socializing and bonding if that's something you would like to do. With our boys, we elected to trim spurs and keep them mostly penned, but would allow them yard time with our close presence and supervision. They could nibble plants and dig for treasures while we kept watch on the skies and made sure no danger was looming. If you do decide to leave spurs sharp, I would just advise keeping a very close eye on how the boys are interacting and reach out if you see any signs of conflict brewing. Roosters will shake up pecking order somewhat regularly (this seemed to be a couple times a year for our gents) and some amount of "fighting" is to be expected during those periods. I would also keep a close eye on their interaction with the girls when mating and if you start to see that those spurs are positioned badly consider some protective measures. I've seen some truly awful lacerations on the sides of hens caused simply by those sharp spurs digging in and slipping down their sides. It's not common per se, but can absolutely happen.

If you want to chat more or have any other questions, toss me an email at jointheroovolution@gmail.com and I'd be happy to brainstorm further.