Help! Cockerel got hung up in a tree by the foot

[RumAndCoconuts]

How is your rooster doing?

Sweet of you to follow up.

There is still no change in him but I'm afraid he will loose most of his foot. The scales are all lifted and it is still black and swollen and stinks to high heaven.
He doesn't seem to be in pain which is why I have left him to see if he can heal but it doesn't look like it is going to happen. He is still bright and alert and has an appetite but I honestly can't see a life for him. He won't be able to scratch or roost or even scratch himself.
I have two roosters to process next week and I think I will put him down as well.
Poor little guy.

I really do appreciate you asking

 

[sourland]

Well, at least you gave him a chance. I believe he would have a decent quality of life especially in a temperate environment, but he would not earn his keep - probably not be able to breed your hens.

 

[cd3farm]

I find that on most injuries if I just clean it good, coat it with neosporin and let them go with out the bandage they can recover from the most serious of injuries. I like to let their injury breath. I would keep him away from the others to keep him calm and not putting strain on his leg. These guys are pretty resilient!

 

[sourland]

I find that on most injuries if I just clean it good, coat it with neosporin and let them go with out the bandage they can recover from the most serious of injuries. I like to let their injury breath. I would keep him away from the others to keep him calm and not putting strain on his leg. These guys are pretty resilient!

Good advice. I think the problem with this rooster is that he was hung up so long and tightly that circulation to his toes was cut off. In essence they have died and will eventually dry up and fall off. I have seen this happen to severely frost bitten birds many times.

 

[cd3farm]

Well I hope for the best in the next couple of days till D day. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. So sad. I have had mine recover from some things that I never dreamed they could recover from.

 

[RumAndCoconuts]

He is such a stoic guy. I do have him in the pen now but it is a free range pen so there isn't much hassle from other birds. He wasn't happy sitting in the house, and neither were we, the stink is pretty bad.

Sourland you mention you think he would have a decent quality of life. I'm trying to see it but I can't. All my birds do around the clock is scratch, forage, perch and preen. He can't even stand for more than a few seconds. The life he would have would seem to be worse than a commercial caged bird.
I believe the the injury, the laceration up the leg healed very well. I took the bandage off after day two to let air to it and it had all healed over, I guess though that the circulation had been completely cut off though as his foot is now completely black and the scales have all fallen off. It looks entirely dead. I can't see it healing. It's pretty horrendous.

CD3farm, what was the nature of the wounds that your birds have healed from. I'm not going to do anything for a couple of days yet. If I could just see some inkling of hope I would let him be, I'm just not seeing it.

 

[cd3farm]

Well I hate to admit it (my only excuse is I have hundreds of chickens) but I did not notice that one of my roosters bands had not expanded as was proper and had cut clear to the bone. He wasn't moving right much and that is what finally caught my attention. I really didn't know what to do but finally just pulled it straight out from the flesh that had swelled up around it. It really bled badly and I thought he might lose his leg. I cleaned it, coated with neosporin and just let him go. He didn't move around much but after after a few days he was just limping around. Now no limp and other than a scar he is great. He is actually one of my favorites. Very friendly. His name is Henry.

 

[cd3farm]

I will say that his lower part of his leg was not black, so there is a difference.

I would also say that I have found young birds a few weeks old that have been caught out in a thunderstorm completely drenched, totally unconscious, and apparantly dead. Cold to the touch, not moving and no signs of life. I have blow dried them and in a few hours you would never have known anything had ever happened. I had to do that this spring and once about 35 years ago. lol Giving away my age.

 

[RumAndCoconuts]

I will say that his lower part of his leg was not black, so there is a difference.

I would also say that I have found young birds a few weeks old that have been caught out in a thunderstorm completely drenched, totally unconscious, and apparantly dead.  Cold to the touch, not moving and no signs of life.  I have blow dried them and in a few hours you would never have known anything had ever happened.  I had to do that this spring and once about 35 years ago. lol  Giving away my age.

Yes his leg is not going to recover. He can do nothing but watch the world. I'm going to have to put him down.

Now what you said about the birds apparently dead...THAT has me intrigued. I have had that happen to two young pullets in the last month. What on earth made you try to resuscitate them in the first place? I was quite certain they were dead. I just never thought for a moment to try anything with them as they were cold and limp. Oh, I guess with one I could be sure as it had attracted bugs already and was starting rigor but I don't recall on the other.
It's good for newbies like myself to hear stories like this from someone who has kept birds for so long,
Thanks!

 

[cd3farm]

Well the first time, (those many years ago) I had 18 young Buff Orpingtons that were about 2 mo old out in the yard. We had gone into town to a party and one of those quick, strange, thunderstorms that Oklahoma is known for came up really fast. We hopped int the car and headed home as fast as we could but had to stop because of the hail and wind. It was pretty frightening. We were about 15 miles from home. When we got home they were laying all over the yard. I didn't know if it was the hail or just so wet and cold, but they all looked dead. There was one that's leg was twitching and so I took it inside and started blow-drying it. I was crying, andry, and so upset. I sort of thought to heck with this, I might as well do them all. So I did. It was late at night so I just propped the blow dryer up on low and when I checked on them in the am they were all fine and you could not tell anything had ever happened. I must say that I prayed too. It seemed like a miracle. So when it happened again this spring after a thunderstorm, I just did it again. It works.