Emergency - Severely Injured Rooster, Suspected Fox Attack

[Denisea3465]

Hello, I hope someone might be able to help. I have been googling and post-reading nonstop but hoped that I might get a little confirmation/extra info that might help us.

We believe a fox attacked our flock yesterday, two of our girls are missing, lots of feather piles around, and another was found dead (decapitated). Our two-year old rooster is badly injured, missing most feathers from neck and back, with a shallow flesh wound around the rump. I found him laying in a pile of feathers and thought he was dead but he blinked when I approached, the poor dear.

We put him in a crate with an old sheet as bedding and he lays there with his head down, seemingly asleep most of the time. I have not inspected him thoroughly yet, as frankly I thought he might not make it through the night. Every hour or so, I have given him water and baby cereal mixed with plain yogurt and poultry vitamin/electrolyte drops which he seems to drink in very, very small quantities, about a teaspoon at a time, after which he drops his head again and seems to go back to sleep. I have also give him 1ml of 1.5mg meloxicam, once yesterday and once today.

There are no veterinarians willing to treat birds within hours of our location, unfortunately. His neck is fully plucked but there are no teeth marks or puncture wounds that I can see, and if I bother him quite enough, he will stand and drink but he slumps down again after just a few minutes.

My husband and I thought to give him three days to recover before deciding if he should be put down. They seem so simultaneously fragile and resilient so we at least wanted to give him the chance; he is such a wonderful, gentle bird.

I have been debating whether to bring him in to our shower and gently wash him off so I can survey the extent of the damage but it is quite cold outside and would rather not traumatize him more if not necessary. Is there anything else I can do for him? My schedule has been trying to give him at least a few spoonfuls of water every hour, as well as the yogurt mixture. I am worried that lack of water and food might be more worrisome right now than the actual injuries but I actually have no idea. is this an immediate concern or can he go for a day or two without, without causing more problems?

So sorry for the long post, but I do hope someone might be able to help. As I said, I have thoroughly read other threads about cleaning and dressing the wounds, but he is a filthy mess and am specifically wondering about bathing him first. Is this a bad idea? What would you recommend? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

 

[wvchickenchick311]

Hello! I haven’t ever had a chicken injured before this bad. If it were me I would take a wash cloth and clean him as best as you can and then you should check for any claw marks,or other injuries maybe the reason he is just sitting there is because his leg,or wing or something else might be injured. You should turn him over and stretch his legs and wings and feel the bones to see if they are injured or broken. If so you should rap them in very rap,preferably not red for reasons. Then you should check the wound around his tail area and see if it is bad or deep. If it is minor then you can put some anibotic cream or it and keep him inside until it has scabbed over. When you saw the feathers,was there any blood around his neck or face? I hope this will belp

 

[wvchickenchick311]

*help not belp

 

[nightowl223]

Hello, I hope someone might be able to help. I have been googling and post-reading nonstop but hoped that I might get a little confirmation/extra info that might help us.

We believe a fox attacked our flock yesterday, two of our girls are missing, lots of feather piles around, and another was found dead (decapitated). Our two-year old rooster is badly injured, missing most feathers from neck and back, with a shallow flesh wound around the rump. I found him laying in a pile of feathers and thought he was dead but he blinked when I approached, the poor dear.

We put him in a crate with an old sheet as bedding and he lays there with his head down, seemingly asleep most of the time. I have not inspected him thoroughly yet, as frankly I thought he might not make it through the night. Every hour or so, I have given him water and baby cereal mixed with plain yogurt and poultry vitamin/electrolyte drops which he seems to drink in very, very small quantities, about a teaspoon at a time, after which he drops his head again and seems to go back to sleep. I have also give him 1ml of 1.5mg meloxicam, once yesterday and once today.

There are no veterinarians willing to treat birds within hours of our location, unfortunately. His neck is fully plucked but there are no teeth marks or puncture wounds that I can see, and if I bother him quite enough, he will stand and drink but he slumps down again after just a few minutes.

My husband and I thought to give him three days to recover before deciding if he should be put down. They seem so simultaneously fragile and resilient so we at least wanted to give him the chance; he is such a wonderful, gentle bird.

I have been debating whether to bring him in to our shower and gently wash him off so I can survey the extent of the damage but it is quite cold outside and would rather not traumatize him more if not necessary. Is there anything else I can do for him? My schedule has been trying to give him at least a few spoonfuls of water every hour, as well as the yogurt mixture. I am worried that lack of water and food might be more worrisome right now than the actual injuries but I actually have no idea. is this an immediate concern or can he go for a day or two without, without causing more problems?

So sorry for the long post, but I do hope someone might be able to help. As I said, I have thoroughly read other threads about cleaning and dressing the wounds, but he is a filthy mess and am specifically wondering about bathing him first. Is this a bad idea? What would you recommend? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

I'm so sorry you've had to go through this awful attack! I know what that feels like, all to well!

Your rooster is likely in shock. He needs brought in where you can give him a warm, quiet place to recover. If your house is air conditioned, or around 70 or so, you should consider giving him a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to lay on. Shock slows down their organs, and the heat will help get the blood flow going again.

~ ~ ~ ~

Here's a quote from one webpage about treating shock:
[Via: https://www.tillysnest.com/2013/12/shock-in-backyard-chickens-html/]

"Treatment:
"Keep the chicken separated from the others.

"Keep the chicken in a warm and quiet place.

"Try wrapping the chicken in a towel or consider making a warming unit.

"If the chicken has lost a good deal of blood, then they will most likely require treatment for hypovolemic shock by a veterinarian. They will require repletion of fluids. [I know you said this is out of the question - we'll cross that bridge when we get there.]

"Do not feed the chicken until they have completely recovered [from the shock, not from any wounds from the attack], starting with water only.

"Vitamins and electrolytes in the water can also help during stressful times. [I feel like adding several exclamation marks here, as this is one of the most important things in this quote! You can also add raw honey, to help perk him up a bit more!]

Once improved, you may consider keeping the chicken separate until they make a complete recovery."

I agree with all of the above. You also, as you settle him in to the warm area, need to check to see how bad that one area is, see if there is any wound you may have missed, and trim away any feathers that might be in, or get in, any wound you find.

~ ~ ~ ~

Next is if you find a wound, after you clean him up. Going into a bit more detail about wound treatment is this website:
[Via: https://vjppoultry.com/tag/treating-shock-in-chicken/]

"If you find a bleeding chicken with a cut under the skin, it is important to act quickly. Wrap it up in a towel and remove it from the rest of the flock. Bleeding, red wounds are attractive to other chickens who will want to peck at it. If the puncture wounds are deep, keep the chicken quiet to prevent shock.

"For shallow wounds, clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide. You can use styptic powder to help stop the bleeding or apply pressure with your hand. Wounds can also be cleaned with Betadine, Chlorhexadine 2% solution spray or Vetericyn wound care spray. Dakin’s solution is good for deep or dirty wounds. Dankin’s solution is made by adding one tablespoon of bleach plus one teaspoon of baking soda to one gallon of water. This needs to be made fresh daily.

"After the wound has been cleaned out, you will want to use a a product like neosporin (don’t use the kind that contains pain relief) or triple antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. If infection does set in, clean the wound 2-3 times daily. Contact a vet for antibiotics. [Or come back here for more advice (on this same post) so we can advise you on the antibiotic issue] Redness, pus or heat indicates infection. If it is warm out, apply a wound dressing to prevent flies from laying eggs in the wound. [If you are treating inside while he is still recovering from the shock, and there are no flies in your house, you might disregard this part, but if he gets dirt into it, it could cause infection, so it's really best to keep it covered anyway, IMO]

"Keep your patient separated from the rest of the flock in a dog crate or dog kennel for better observation. [Remember, thisis after he's recovered from shock, and temperatures are no longer an issue] Cage cups can be hung from the side for food and water. Always make sure that your bird is eating and drinking. Offer water on a spoon or dropper if they can’t drink on their own. Add electrolytes and vitamins to the drinking water to help with shock and recovery. Hand feed if necessary with spoon or dropper. Add water to food to make a mash or try a bird formula if needed.

"Chickens do feel pain but will go to great lengths to not show it. If you feel that pain relief is needed an aspirin drinking solution can be offered. Add 5 aspirin (325 mg X 5) tablets to one gallon of water for up to 3 days. Only use if there are not internal injuries. [For the simple reason that aspirin is also a blood thinner, and you don't want any internal bleeding going on where you can't see it!]

"When scabs have healed over, you can consider returning her to the flock. Remember that any redness will cause other hens to peck at the wound so make sure that she is fully healed. Because she has been gone for more than a few days, you will need to reintroduce her back to the flock as if she is a stranger to them. How To Integrate New Chickens Into Your Flock is a good refresher. "[All bits in blue in this quote are links to other pages or sites when you're on the actual source page, but not here]

~ ~ ~ ~

I hope things go smoothly as you follow this advice, and he recovers and is soon as good as new! And, like I said in the quotes, as far as where vets are mentioned, that's what we're here for! We're not exactly registered vets, but we've been through a LOT between us all, and we can usually figure out a plan or at least the best advice possible.

 

[Denisea3465]

Wow, thank you so very, very much. I definitely need to raise his temperature then, as it is quite chilly out and his crate, while enclosed, is not heated. I will also stop trying to feed him and just focus on the electrolyte water for today. I need to read more thoroughly all you have posted. Again, thank you so much!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We put him in a crate with an old sheet as bedding and he lays there with his head down, seemingly asleep most of the time. I have not inspected him thoroughly yet, as frankly I thought he might not make it through the night. Every hour or so, I have given him water and baby cereal mixed with plain yogurt and poultry vitamin/electrolyte drops which he seems to drink in very, very small quantities, about a teaspoon at a time, after which he drops his head again and seems to go back to sleep. I have also give him 1ml of 1.5mg meloxicam, once yesterday and once today.

I have been debating whether to bring him in to our shower and gently wash him off so I can survey the extent of the damage but it is quite cold outside and would rather not traumatize him more if not necessary. Is there anything else I can do for him?

Did you clean/flush his wounds? You will want to inspect him closely and clean up the wounds. Trim the feathers away so you can get a good look. Take some photos too.

 

[nightowl223]

Wow, thank you so very, very much. I definitely need to raise his temperature then, as it is quite chilly out and his crate, while enclosed, is not heated. I will also stop trying to feed him and just focus on the electrolyte water for today. I need to read more thoroughly all you have posted. Again, thank you so much!

How is your rooster now? Did he pull through the hardest part of recovery? I sure hope so.

 

[Denisea3465]

I started reading up on syringe feeding and started this morning, as it seemed he was just so weak and keeping him warm didn't seem to help. I syringe-fed him twice today (which was scary but am so glad I am learning how - both for now and any future needs). I just went out to check on him and he stood up right when I lifted the top off his crate! He settled down again right away but I was encouraged to see his small burst of "energy". I am hoping to get any dehydration/starvation issues under control. His wounds seem moderate but plenty. All have scabbed over and look quite well, all things considered. No redness, fever, etc.

Thank you so much for the encouragement and advice. I definitely never would have done these things without your all sharing your knowledge. Lola thanks you, as well!

Here he is in better days.

 

[nightowl223]

I started reading up on syringe feeding and started this morning, as it seemed he was just so weak and keeping him warm didn't seem to help. I syringe-fed him twice today (which was scary but am so glad I am learning how - both for now and any future needs). I just went out to check on him and he stood up right when I lifted the top off his crate! He settled down again right away but I was encouraged to see his small burst of "energy". I am hoping to get any dehydration/starvation issues under control. His wounds seem moderate but plenty. All have scabbed over and look quite well, all things considered. No redness, fever, etc.

Thank you so much for the encouragement and advice. I definitely never would have done these things without your all sharing your knowledge. Lola thanks you, as well!

Here he is in better days.
View attachment 1759267

It was time to start feeding him, anyway, as the shock would have worn off by now. The big risk with syringe feeding is that they might breathe it down into their lungs. As long as you go slow enough that he can swallow it correctly, and watch that he does swallow, you should do fine.

 

[Denisea3465]

Hello everyone. I just wanted to post an update. Thanks to all your help and advice, somehow Lola managed to pull through. On about day 7 we were talking about needing to euthanize him the next day. But wouldn't you know it, the next morning he seemed like a new chicken. A few more days and he was so ornery we decided to let him back in with the flock.

He has some recovering to do, he still won't fly up to roost, but he is happily back with his ladies and enjoying the warm spring weather. Thanks again for helping us through!