Damaged eye

[IshyBabe]

Our adopted Roosters have been fighting, especially Number 4. Last Christmas, Number 2 was mailed badly by a feral cat. He had a severely broken leg and a damaged chest and a split pupil in his right eye. He has only recently started to crow again. 4 has obviously decided that 2 was a threat and has been trying to knock 10 bells out of him. My husband was putting them into the coop tonight and noticed that 2s right eye is badly damaged and is leaking "white foamy stuff". We have liked him in the coop tonight as he would not be able to perch in their favourite tree. These are NOT tame birds, they were abandoned so will not let us near them to do anything to them. The poor wee soul is making wee soulful sqeaking noises.
Anyone any idea what I can do? Hopefully we can box him up tomorrow and take him to a vet that deals with chooks.

 

[micstrachan]

Yikes. I vote for taking him to an avian vet if you have the means. I think he probably needs some care, and if you are unable to do it, an experience vet should be able to. I know you can calm a hen by wrapping her in a towel and covering her head. I assume the same would go for a rooster? If his eye is badly damaged, he may lose it. I personally would be concerned about a secondary infection taking over at some point. Hopefully someone will chime in with some useful/valid advice. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you have a headlamp (flashlight) you can go into the coop at night, take the hurt bird off his perch, and clean the gunk out of the eye with saline and cotton, and apply some eye drops or eye ointment if you have any. When the swelling goes down, you may be able to tell if the eye is intact or infected. Pecking injuries as well as respiratory diseases can cause eye infection.

These roosters need to be separate if you are keeping them. I had a trio of breeding roosters that I needed to keep in adjacent pens, separated from the rest of my flock. I hated having them separate, but otherwise they fight and will end up hurting or killing each other.

 

[IshyBabe]

If you have a headlamp (flashlight) you can go into the coop at night, take the hurt bird off his perch, and clean the gunk out of the eye with saline and cotton, and apply some eye drops or eye ointment if you have any. When the swelling goes down, you may be able to tell if the eye is intact or infected. Pecking injuries as well as respiratory diseases can cause eye infection.

These roosters need to be separate if you are keeping them. I had a trio of breeding roosters that I needed to keep in adjacent pens, separated from the rest of my flock. I hated having them separate, but otherwise they fight and will end up hurting or killing each other.

 

[IshyBabe]

Thanks there,
However, they are unfortunately not tame birds, or even really ours, they adopted us (as gullible muggins) and according to the vet I went to last year, he reckons they are already about 3 or 4 years old. Although they have a lovely big coop that we built them, the silly Muppets, insist in going over the road at night to roost in the very open Tea tree.
We have tried separating them, like when 4 was put into the coop (sin bin) last week for starting the fights. All that happens is that the other three birds, hang around the coup and sit on the coop and they all continue to "talk" to each other. It's sort of like the Rooster equivalent of seeing a battered wife continually going back to the partner that beats them up. Personally, I really want to give 4 a smacked botty, as Shrek's Mum would say.
I have managed to get an appointment today with one of the local vets who deals with chooks. I'll no doubt be the laughing stock of my friends again, but hey ho, I can't see the wee soul in trouble. I had maybe get some eye drops in reserve for any future happenings.

 

[IshyBabe]

Yikes. I vote for taking him to an avian vet if you have the means. I think he probably needs some care, and if you are unable to do it, an experience vet should be able to. I know you can calm a hen by wrapping her in a towel and covering her head. I assume the same would go for a rooster? If his eye is badly damaged, he may lose it. I personally would be concerned about a secondary infection taking over at some point. Hopefully someone will chime in with some useful/valid advice. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[IshyBabe]

Hi micstrachan,
I have managed to get an appointment today at a vets nearby and two of them deal with Chooks. I would like nothing more than to wrap 2 up in a towel and give him a hug and look after him, however, we think he is about 3-4 years old, and they are still "wild". About the only time they run to us is if we go out with food and treats for them. Otherwise we are just Big Scary Monsters.
I have a nasty feeling that this time his eye is totally gone, not just a split pupil, that he could still see out of.
What with his mauling last Christmas and now this, I really feel sorry for the Gusty wee blighter.
However, we will see what Elaine has to say later on today.
Thanks for your advice.

 

[micstrachan]

Hi @IshyBabe,
What happened today at the vet?
Michelle

 

[IshyBabe]

Ola! Michelle,
Thanks for asking. We took 2, or as he has now been rechristened "Poppet" to the vets and fortunately the vet we saw not only had an interest in Chooks, but also in eyes. She thinks that it got infected possibly as a result from one of the sparring matches with 4 (now renamed Red Reddington)
His eye had stopped with the oozy white "foam" and was just closed. She took him away and cleaned it up and put eye drops into it. We have him in the coop in isolation so that we can easily get to him to put ointment in his eye. It is looking more normal now, but he still walks sideways using his good eye.
I have to say he is one gutsy little chap considering what he's been through in the last year. I have to say that it's lovely actually holding him and being able to stroke him, and I learned that if you rub them behind their ears it calms them down.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I have several rooster flocks.

I think the key to not fighting is to have LOTS of space. The guys share rooms in the Roo Barn. Then they free range on 18 acres during the day. The majority of the guys will hang pretty close to the house, but a few will wander out of eye sight.

Can you separate them at night? Even just hardware cloth or a sheet -- something?