Attacked Rooster

[Chiknsrcool]

My little silkie rooster was attacked by some animal and I was wondering what it could be. When I went outside he was manically running along the fence and rubbing his side on the ground. The other five chickens were stuffed into a bush. When I walked over I saw that much of his head feathers and all of his wing feathers on one side had been ripped off and his leg had been torn open exposing the muscle. His eye was bloody and so was his ear but he was still there so I guess he won the fight but what could have attacked him? The other chickens didn’t have any blood on their beaks so it wasn’t them. We live in southeast Texas and it happened during the day

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No way to know give a concrete answer to what attacked him, but likely it will be back. If you can put up a game cam or similar to see what's coming around that might be good.
What type of fencing do you have?
With injury like that, I would assume whatever came around may have possibly been trying to pull him through the fence. Racoon?

How are his wounds healing? Do you need help with treating those?
Any exposed bone?

I would suggest trimming the feathers away from the wound so they can be seen and treated more easily. They will stay cleaner as well.

 

[Chiknsrcool]

No way to know give a concrete answer to what attacked him, but likely it will be back. If you can put up a game cam or similar to see what's coming around that might be good.
What type of fencing do you have?
With injury like that, I would assume whatever came around may have possibly been trying to pull him through the fence. Racoon?

How are his wounds healing? Do you need help with treating those?
Any exposed bone?

I would suggest trimming the feathers away from the wound so they can be seen and treated more easily. They will stay cleaner as well.

We found a bunch of his feathers around the middle of the yard an the fence he was running along was brick but we do have a regular wire fence around where the feathers were so it might have been that. It doesn’t look like there is any exposed bone so that’s good. Here is a picture of him while we were cleaning him up. We didn’t cut any feathers because it looked like the predator did most of that for us.

 

[Chiknsrcool]

We found a bunch of his feathers around the middle of the yard an the fence he was running along was brick but we do have a regular wire fence around where the feathers were so it might have been that. It doesn’t look like there is any exposed bone so that’s good. Here is a picture of him while we were cleaning him up. We didn’t cut any feathers because it looked like the predator did most of that for us.

Also we are pretty sure it’s a hawk because I just went out and saw a hawk flying away and the hens were up in their roost and one was cowering under the ladder.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We found a bunch of his feathers around the middle of the yard an the fence he was running along was brick but we do have a regular wire fence around where the feathers were so it might have been that. It doesn’t look like there is any exposed bone so that’s good. Here is a picture of him while we were cleaning him up. We didn’t cut any feathers because it looked like the predator did most of that for us.

Also we are pretty sure it’s a hawk because I just went out and saw a hawk flying away and the hens were up in their roost and one was cowering under the ladder.

Ahh, I see. So he was at the brick "fence" likely trying to get further away it sounds like.
Could have been a hawk, is that area roofed/covered (were they in a secured pen where the hawk couldn't physically get inside?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I thought it was a hawk as soon as you said a pile of feathers. They hit with force from above then attempt to finish off the animal if not already dead.

Your birds will be that much more vigilant about aerial predators now. Learning curve is steep. Offer cover for them to duck under when they spot larger birds in the sky. You have one bush mentioned. That's good, maybe something more is needed middle of largest open area. Gives them a chance to get under cover quick. Once a hawk is on the ground it's not much of a threat unless it corners the bird in the coop or the like scenerio.

 

[Chiknsrcool]

Ahh, I see. So he was at the brick "fence" likely trying to get further away it sounds like.
Could have been a hawk, is that area roofed/covered (were they in a secured pen where the hawk couldn't physically get inside?

The backyard is all uncovered but we have some large trees, a small patch of bushes with a young pine tree, and the “bush” I mentioned that the hens were in but it’s really just a big patch of bamboo where they tend to hide if they are frightened or don’t want to go back in the coop. The only covered fenced in area was their coop and small run but they were free ranging when it happened. We probably won’t let them do that anymore unless we are with them like we used. Here is a picture of him now, he just ate some scrambled eggs.

 

[Chiknsrcool]

The backyard is all uncovered but we have some large trees, a small patch of bushes with a young pine tree, and the “bush” I mentioned that the hens were in but it’s really just a big patch of bamboo where they tend to hide if they are frightened or don’t want to go back in the coop. The only covered fenced in area was their coop and small run but they were free ranging when it happened. We probably won’t let them do that anymore unless we are with them like we used. Here is a picture of him now, he just ate some scrambled eggs.

Also the hawk came back while we were outside and it dove for the hens but luckily they all escaped into the coop. It was pretty small and we were thinking about shooting near it with a BB gun just to scare it but not to kill it.

 

[Dephora]

So sorry about your rooster, I hope he is doing better.
Smart of you to decide to only let them out with you there, though hawks are pretty opportunistic and will even try right in front of you. Most the time my free ranging hens alert me to a hawk before I have even seen it. Silkie are kind of sitting ducks for hawks and other predators. They are not a breed made for free ranging.

Don't think it will matter if you shoot at the hawk, there will always be more that will try at some point.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here is a picture of him now

Also the hawk came back while we were outside and it dove for the hens but luckily they all escaped into the coop. It was pretty small and we were thinking about shooting near it with a BB gun just to scare it but not to kill it.

The wounds, you have flushed them really well with saline or something like Chlorhexidine correct?
For his face and eyes, I would use saline to wash the blood out, taking breaks if he's stressed.
Plain Neosporin can be used in his injured eye as well.
I would use causing with the heat and wrapping the wound. The wound unless he's picking at it, personally I would leave unwrapped, but keep moist with neosporin. It may need to be flushed or cleaned daily as needed as well - just depends on what it looks like.

Do not shoot the hawk. Bird of prey are federally protected and they can't be harassed. Look up your laws.