Rooster eyes swelling. Please help

[-kimm-]

My favorite rooster got into a fight with another rooster. He hurt his wing and tore a piece of his waddle off. His whole face on that side is swollen and the eye has swollen shut. I checked on him this morning and the eye on the other side is swelling too. Since the girls aren't picking on him I was letting him stay in the coop. He was eating and drinking yesterday but I will probably have to help him today. Is there anything I can do for him? I can run to the feed store for whatever is needed. He has been enjoying the boiled egg and I already got the wing sorted.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would use Vetericyn on his face and wattle. Clean his eye with saline or Vetericyn eye wash. Separate your roosters since they will usually fight if they are sexually mature. He will be more happy inside with the hens, but watch to see they don't peck at him.

 

[-kimm-]

Thank you. It is more frustrating because this all happened the day before the other roosters were taken to the butcher. I am going to bring him in and spoil him until his swelling goes down.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope he heals, and many of us have had things like this happen with extra cockerels we have raised. They get pretty rowdy around 4-5 months old. That has cut down on my hatching chicks at home.

 

[-kimm-]

Wow. He has been hurt for over a week. Well his eye is still swollen. I had to dig around in there because a piece of pus was lodged deep in there. I was able to get it out and it looks like it is slowly going down. He can barely open it. He hasn't been able to eat or drink on his own so I learned how to tube feed him. I am really trying to get him away from it as he hates it as much as I do. He has lost a ton of weight so I am wondering how I can help him gain some back so he can get more energy back. I am feeding him a gruel of ground chick feed, cooked egg yolks, water and vitimins with electrolytes. Also is there anything I can give him to help with the swelling? I had him walk around outside for a bit today and he loved it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you tried flushing his eye with saline, and then applying an antibiotic ointment such as Terramycin? I have even used plain neosporin ( triple antibiotic) ointment in an emergency, but The Terramycin is better. If there was a chunk of pus in there, it may start going down soon. It is interesting that he has not wanted to eat on his own. Is his crop emptying overnight after not eating? Tube feeding him twice a day might work for you. Here is a good thread on how to learn: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[-kimm-]

Thank you. I have been putting an antibiotic ointment in his eye. Which he hates but he gets it done twice a day. I have also been tube feeding twice a day. And I have been monitoring his crop and it is emptying just fine. I think that he just can't get the food or water since he only has the one eye. He tries every once in a while but completely misses it. I will try a saline flush to see if it will help. I just feel bad for the poor thing he is just bones at this point. I removed the last bit of pus two days ago and it doesn't look better yet. His eye underneath looks nice and healthy though. Poor Theo is getting loads of attention from me and my kids. My boyfriend tells me he looks forward to a day that he comes home and I don't have a chicken in the living room. Lol. Told him good luck with that. He is in the heated garage btw with a heated chicken mat if he wants to keep as warm as possible.