feisty rooster injured unable to treat

[The Accidental Coop]

My rooster was attacked by a predator Saturday. It reached through the wire on the side of the run and slashed him. I think he tried to attack it which gave the predator more chances to grab him. The same predator (I believe) pried the doors open on the coop a week ago and killed our two older hens. Two and a half years and nothing has been able to get in----We were devistated!

Drumstick is very feisty and I am unable to catch him to treat his wounds:
A 1-1/2 inch gash across his back 2 inches above his tail.
A circle of skin, the size of a milk bottle lid, missing under his left wing and he is having trouble standing for any length of time on his left leg. He will take a step, bend the leg at the knee and clench his foot.
Of course clumps of feathers have been pulled out and his comb points are injured.

We have in a separate coop three younger chickens, they are 5 months old. After loosing his two hens Drumstick has adopted the younger chicks and will not tolerate being separated from them. I tried, he panicked making his wounds worse. It was horrible. After being confined in the smaller coop with the chicks he seems to be doing better.

Finally my questions:
-Will eating baby chick crumbles help him.
-What are the chances his wounds will just heal on their own

Yes....That is our handsome Drumstick under NEW EGG on our post.

 

[jenjscott]

Chickens have amazing recuperative powers. Make sure he has clean food and water and he will probably be fine. Just observe him closely for any sign of deterioration, at which point you may need to press the issue.

 

[BarnsB]

If I have a problem chicken (one that doesn't want to be handled) I wait until dark to tackle them.
They are very docile & quiet if it is dark in the coop and easy to pick up.
Then you can cover their head with a thick sock or towel & they should remain quiet and realitivly stress free while you work on them.
It would probably be a good idea to at least dab those wounds with a little betadine. They will dry up faster & there will be less liklihood of bacterial infection or maggot infestation.

 

[sourland]

Set a boxtrap. The predator will be back.

 

[The Accidental Coop]

Thank you everyone for your help.

We took the wait and see approach because I was afraid I could damage his injured leg by picking him up to medicate him.

He is doing much better, so much so, he is back on the job watching his two hens and crowing up a storm.

Later this week we are off to a local chicken farm to pick up two hens to add to our flock. I am sure Drumstick will be pleased

.