Scalped Cockeral

[HeiHeisMom]

I'm glad he is doing better!
I don't believe chickens have the thought process to mark someone. He may be a bit confused since you brought Bernie in and changed up his routine a little.
I think that once she is with him for a few days he will become more interested in palling around with her. He's still very young and cockerels can be slightly clingy anyway. Give him a little time to bond with her.

I wondered about that as well, as he was scared of her at first.
He would get on my shoulder and do his high pitched loud panicked trilling while hiding under my hair.
I don't really know what happened to him, but he was stuck between a post and the coop wall. It took my husband and I pushing the wall away from the post to collect Conner.
It could be that the Chooks were trying to encourage him to get out with pecks and when he couldn't the pecking got fierce unintentionally once blood was drawn.
But whatever happened he is terrified of outside and the Chooks.
That's why I chose Bernadette to begin his reintigration.
It will be a long slow process, but the longer apart from them he is, the harder it will be to join his flock.
The Vet said he could start going out at one week, but he tore his wounds open near his eye this morning, so it will be a few more days.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

I have had worse scalped chickens make it. There was gamefowl rooster I found running down the road in the rain years ago. He was exhausted, scalped, his right eye was swollen shut and the lid bulging with infection. I caught him and took him home to heal him up. Here's what I did for the scalp healing.

There are two species of medicinal plant, both often referred to as Plantain. They possess excellent antimicrobial and vulnerary properties (a compound called Allantoin in them causes increased cell growth and division, resulting in faster healing of wounds). Either of the species' leaves can be ground into a paste and placed on the wound. By itself it will not stick for long, so in the case of needing to use it on the head of the rooster I cut up some soft, stretchy underwear (like many women's underwears are) and fashioned a little "cap" I could tie under his chin to keep it in place. (I used a different protocol for the eye which is irrelevant to this discussion). You could use other materials, like stretchy leggings or panty hose.

These plants are super common around human settlement, and unless you live in the desert there's probably some growing within 500 feet of you.

Plantago major ("Broadleaf Plantain")
View attachment 1600070

Plantago lanceolata ("Ribwort"):
View attachment 1600071

The scalp skin grew back and did not become infected. It took it a little while after his skin had grown back in before the feathers repopulated, but amazingly they usually will.

I don't have any photos of the original wound unfortunately but here is a photo of him post-Plantain treatment before his feathers grew back in. The skin is completely regrown here:
View attachment 1600069

And after feathers have regrown:
View attachment 1600072

If you are unable to get ahold of or don't care to use antibiotics, this is an excellent and free option. I use it on myself all the time, other humans, chickens, ducks, dogs, geese. It's wonderful stuff.

Hopefully the hens pecking him did not cause brain trauma. If his pupils are dilated and/or you suspect brain swelling, a compound in Dandelion leaf (I forget the name at the moment) crosses the blood-brain barrier and works against brain inflammation (unlike the vast majority of anti-inflammatories), though nothing I know can undo already caused brain damage; this is simply a preventative so that swelling does not cause more. This is fed to the chicken. I've used this to treat Wry Neck successfully.

I wish you and your rooster good luck in the healing process.

Could you give me an idea of how to pattern a little covering for his head?
The ones I've tried were very unsuccessful.
Thank you in advance!

 

[Slike]

HeiHeisMom, are you having trouble with shaping it to fit him or is he fidgeting with it to pull it off?

I drew a couple diagrams of ways to try. The first one is what I did and just tied it using the 4 long strips. This may be harder to do than I'd thought of, because I grow my fingernails long and shape them to a point at the tip. It allows me to do minute, dexterous stuff like that easier.

If that does not work for you, you can alternately try the number "2" method. Cut the fabric so one side is slightly tapered down narrower than the opposite. If put on like the crappy drawing shows it should allow him to move better. You'd need to tape this one in place.

If he freaks out about having something on the back of his head, should you have bee's wax lip balm lying around, you can make a pseudo salve out of that mixed with the plantain pulp and just smear it on the troubled area. That might actually be better because you said a damaged area near his eye got re-opened. In highly mobile places like the face that's probably the best option.

I hope this helps and gives you what you need to proceed. I apologize if anything I say right now doesn't make sense - I've been really sick and am having a difficult time thinking clearly tonight. If you need any clarifications let me know. Wishing you and your chicky boy the best.

 

[aart]

I wonder if a cone would work?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I wonder if a cone would work?

View attachment 1607218

 

[Slike]

Not sure if joking, or---

A cone would not work to hold medicine in place.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The cone would be used to prohibit the bird from scratching his wounds and opening it them back up.

Other people have trimmed the nails a little then covered the claws/nails with bandaids so to help "soften" the impact when scratching.

I'm thinking one more week before he gets to go outside, only because as his face heals it itches and he clawed himself near his bad eye and bled all over this morning.

 

[aart]

Not sure if joking, or---
A cone would not work to hold medicine in place.

Wasn't joking at all...holding medicine is not the point.

The cone would be used to prohibit the bird from scratching his wounds and opening it them back up.

Exactly!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I guess I shouldn't have added this. It just was cute thinking of a chicken with a cone, especially since he's doing better.

 

[aart]

I guess I shouldn't have added this. It just was cute thinking of a chicken with a cone, especially since he's doing better.

Cones on animals are always kind of funny.