Something tried to eat my rooster last night

What predator do you think it was

  • Owl

    Votes: 1 50.0%
  • Racoon

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Fox

    Votes: 1 50.0%
  • Possum

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Coyotes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Weasel

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bear

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Some other type of predatory bird

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other (Please specify what in the thread)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2

MadamPoofyBrow

Crowing
7 Years
Jun 15, 2015
1,709
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I think it was an owl. I have four roosters who stay out all the time and don't go up at night. Two large Polish, a mix between just about everything I've got (a bit bigger than a Silkie) and then a little light blue mix. The son of the other mix, crossed over to a ? He's weird looking...and the size half way between a Serama and a Silkie...anyway, he's one of my favourite chickens. He is the sweetest chicken I have ever owned. He always runs to greet me, but this morning was hiding in a corner, when I went to him, he ran/limped away. I had to corner him, and caught him. That's when I saw the blue feathers strewn from the tree he sleeps in, all the way through the neighbours woods. Obviously, he got away alive. That morning on the way up, I saw some crows harassing an owl. Whatever it was grabbed either of his thighs, scraped them up, and plucked them raw. He is pitiful. I brought him in the house in a large pet carrier, and put animal antibiotic on him. The same I always use for chicken injuries. He is going to stay in the house until he is better and I will check for infection regularly. I wanna know what else I should be doing, he is my baby and I will do whatever might help him. He has a freshly cleaned waterer with fresh water, and a clean bowl with food in it. He won't eat or drink, but it's there if he wants it, and I will dip his beak later to make sure he gets some water.
I will post pics later, he is currently sleeping and I don't wanna disturb him. Took him a while to lay down where it didn't hurt, his legs are obviously bothering him.
I should also probably ad that about two weeks ago, I went out in the morning and he ran to me, flew up in my arms, and wiggled up into my shirt, shaking, and his eyes were huge. I looked him over, and he wasn't hurt, but I think something chased him. He came into the house for a few hours until he calmed down, but whenever I tried to put him down, he crawl back up in my lap, trembling. I really want him to be a house chicken, he is soooooo sweet, but that's a different story.
Any suggestions are welcome. If you know how to help him, know what might have gotten him, or know how to keep it from happening to someone else that would be amazing. Thanks in advance, and I will get some pictures when he wakes up.
 
In my experience Great Horned Owls are as tenacious as weasels once they have located a food source. Try to provide night time shelter for the others or they may very well be the next to be attacked. If your rooster is only scratched, he may very well heal readily. Right now he is probably somewhat shocky , and you have done well to confine him. I worry about the possibility of punctures or internal damage caused by the impact of the owl's talons. Good luck with him.
 
Thanks Sourland! We are trying to think of somewhere to put the others, they all get along. He had several scratches, but I think he had a couple punctures. They were oozing :-(
He just woke up so I will get some pictures.
 
His worst wound. I think it's a puncture, and it's oozing :'(

This is him yesterday, before the attack. He has MASSIVE feathered feet.

Another I think puncture

And the third and smallest puncture. This is a bad pic. He's just finishing molting and has those straw things on most of his feathers.

The clean pluck. This is on both of his thighs. I think an owl grabbed foot fulls of feathers and yanked them out. If goes all the way down his side, this is just part of it.
All of his punctures are oozing, and some of the pluck holes look blodoy. But again, since he's molting, a lot of his feathers had blood in them and that's probably why.
Hope the pictures help. I will get more and better pics of anything you want.
 
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Keep the gashes/punctures moistened with antibiotic ointment. It might help to take a Q tip and work a little bit into each of the wounds twice daily.
 
Keep the gashes/punctures moistened with antibiotic ointment. It might help to take a Q tip and work a little bit into each of the wounds twice daily.
Thanks and will do! I rubbed it on them about half an hour ago. I will work some into them with a Q tip tonight. Is twice a day enough, or should I do three? I had him in the garage but brought him in the house because he was cold. Figured he didn't need that on top of everything else.
 
Okay. I'm kinda glad it was him instead of one of the others, because he is soooo easy to work with. It obviously hurts when I touch it, but he is good and just sits there. I'll put on antibiotic ointment in the morning and evening.
 
Put on the ointment for tonight. I found two more punctures, and that makes five. When I put him back in his carrier, he limped to the corner and bedded down. I'll let you know how he's doing in the morning.
 
Madam I'm so sorry to hear that! That is indeed awful to return home to. An owl is probably the predator, or a hawk, since there are 5 punctures. Keep the wounds clean so infection doesn't set in.
 

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