Help!! Chicken with sprained or broken neck!! Help!!!

[Eggcessive]

Would it be possible to have a vet care for him, tube feeding him several times a day? Or teach a friend, relative or neighbor how to syringe him food? I would worry that he won’t live without his fluids and a bit of food. I know it is frustrating—something always happens when I plan a trip.

 

[aart]

I'm not trying to be be negative or rude,
just brutally honest about a rather dire situation that you asked for help with.

How is he going to drink if he can't move his head on his own?
Has he moved it on his own?

....and what about these questions:

What volume of feed and water have you given him in the last 24 hours?
How much and what kind of poops is he producing?

Sorry I'm a bit ticked at such nonchalance in regard to a seriously injured animal that you claim to love.

 

[Eggcessive]

I know this sounds strange, but would it be possible to pack him up in a crate and take him with you? You wouldn’t need to spend a lot of time with him, but just take him out and feed and water him. He would just sleep between feedings. He could even stay in your car or in a hotel room.

 

[casportpony]

What volume of feed and water have you given him in the last 24 hours?

This is a very valid question, and he needs no less than 5% of his body weight per day in fluids, which mean he needs 23 ml of fluids per pound of body weight.

To quote my vet "birds don't usually die from a disease, they die from dehydration".

 

[casportpony]

And let me add that force feeding a bird that is dehydrated can do more harm than good. One must correct hydration first, then concentrate on getting food in.

 

[bobbi-j]

Speaking of the reality that he may never move his neck and doing him the favor of ending his suffering is not a negative comment. You have gone above and beyond in trying to help him. He couldn't ask for better care. How long do you plan on continuing putting food and water into him if he can't do it himself? Has he moved anything on his own yet?

 

[micstrachan]

Kailey, remember this post.

Hi Kailey! I'm so sorry to hear about your rooster. He's a pretty brave fellow!

Incase this can help, I had a cull rooster that was attacked in our barn late last fall. My rooster had wedged himself between a square bale and the sliding door of the barn. He was in shock and chilled when I found him in the morning. His tail feathers were gone and he had wounds along his neck (bite marks I assume) He also couldn't lift his head or neck at all, his head rested on the floor in front of him...he couldn't keep his head up like your rooster.

I couldn't keep him in the house, he was kept in a kennel in our closed rooster shed. My rooster couldn't peck or eat anything, the only thing he could do was drink. I gave him an electrolyte vitamin mixture in a water dish and helped him with his neck to drink it exactly the same way you did in your post #30.

It took 2.5 weeks before he could begin to lift his head. As soon as he could control his head a bit I fed him chick starter in a dish and held him while he pecked at it. He progressed well from there and was soon eating on his own. He's healed 100% and is back to normal.

Unfortunately, I was injured at the same time so I needed assistance to get him out of his kennel and I was only able to help him drink him a couple times a day. He rested the remainder of the day and was not handled. I put one of his cull buddies in with him that had an injured eye. I did not wash his wounds, they were done bleeding and had clotted so I left them alone. I kept an eye on the wounds for infection.

It was a lot of work with him but I couldn't put him down after he'd managed to survive the attack. I'm glad I didn't give up on him.

It may take some perseverance with your rooster. But as long as your rooster doesn't give up, I think you have a good chance of him responding and getting well. He looks much better and more alert than my guy did. The fact he has his head up while sitting in the box is a good sign.

You are doing a great job. When he is in his sling, is he holding his neck up or is he just balanced that way? Do you have access to any poultry vitamins and electrolytes? As far as being gone for the weekend, I think he will need someone to care for him. Is there anyone else who can step in and help?

 

[micstrachan]

I think in post #64 he moves his own head a bit to look at you. Also, in the video in post #65, you mention that he held his head up for a little bit, right? Can we see a video of how he’s doing now? What time do you leave tomorrow?

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope that Brownie’s mom Kailey will keep on helping him, and hopefully there won’t be criticism and piling on with what she decides to do. We all do things differently, we all have family obligations, and we all have people close to us pressuring us to do things the way they think they should.
So, let us all be here if she needs our help, and not be too judgemental. Brownie may or may not make it even with the best of care. He obviously has a loving family. Sorry if this offends anyone.

 

[micstrachan]

+1 to @Eggcessive’s post. We are here for you, Kailey and Brownie! I’m hoping for the best. If we know better how he’s doing right now and how much time you have left with him before you head out of town, we will try to help guide you in setting him up for the best chance of recovery. Whatever happens, I think you have done a wonderful job and obviously love him. As much as he likes the sling, I probably would not leave him in it while you are gone, as he could get hurt worse. Has he been able to drink from the hampster bottle? If you have to leave him alone, I would try a crate or animal carrier and secure food and water to the inside wall at the easiest possible height and location for him to get to. You may have to somehow tie little dishes or jars or something on. Maybe you could use pine shavings or other bedding so that if he poops and can’t get out of it, at least the bedding might wick some of the poop and moisture away from him. Please keep us posted. I’ll be thinking about you.