How much should I push my severely injured blind rooster to eat?!?

[offtheleash]

Hi all

2 days ago my rooster was protecting a chick from predator and he is severely injured, mainly to side of head and he's blind in both eyes.

He's on penicillin and I'm feeding him the liquid fermented food with an ear syringe, the blue kind. He's had one full one today, plus a couple of drops of electrolytes.

He's a silkie rooster, maybe 3 lbs. so how much do I need to push him to eat?

He's almost acting like he's taken a turn for the worse this afternoon, and will be inside tonight.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Themehmeh]

Is he permanently blind or is there just damage around his eyes right now?

A blind bird is almost never going to get better. You would have to keep him in an enclosed run and keep the food and water in the exact same place every day. Even then, he might not figure out where the food is and you will have to hand feed him a few times daily for the rest of his life. It is not a happy life for a rooster. Personally, I'd say it's his time to go, but I understand people carry varying levels of attachment to their birds.

 

[offtheleash]

The damage to his eyes is bad, I can't see the eye at all.

We waved a hammer in front of him while we were making repairs and he didn't flinch.

I'm just wondering because I know he feels so bad and might be in shock that it will take him awhile to wanna eat.

This afternoon he's started putting his heavy in his back feathers which is new.

We have vowed that we will take care of him no matter what, but this sucks!

 

[offtheleash]

Just a little background about me, I've had open heart surgery and can't have children, my Dad died this past summer and it was always his dreàm to have chickèns and so it became mine.

I've had my flock for 2 months, live in the country surrounded by 200 acres of woods and farmland. I started out with 2 silkie hens and my rooster, they would free range during day and go in coop at night.

After 1 month a hawk killed one hen, and so my quest started to replace her, because believe it or not the other hen went broody that same day, so rooster had no one.

He hid in the doghouse during the attack until nightfall, I cried and cried thinking he was gone, but no...

Anywho, I've now got 2 adult and 3 silkie chicks and 2 sex link hens, chicken math.

Something has been picking off my silkie chicks and I've tried hard to stop it and then what happened 2 days ago happened.

I will be devastated to lose Ricky to say the least, but this much I know, he's a fighter!

Thank you for reading this, I know it has alot of run on sentences.

 

[seminolewind]

If something is picking off your chicks, it will keep happening until you make sure their coop or pen is tight.
Since Ricky is in a sense, your baby, I would soak his eyes with a cool rag a few times a day to bring the swelling down. And give him half a low dose aspirin or 1/4 or less of an adult aspirin. It may help with the swelling.

 

[offtheleash]

I've got the pen as secure as I can, I've buried the wire 3 ft. into the coop so it would be hard for something to dig under like what was happening. Also covered the whole pen with a shrimp net that someone gave me.

I've been doing asprin since the first night.

He started snoring today when I was doing the compress and cleaning his feathers, I wouldn't take anything for the small things like that.

He's tired, I'm about to wake him up to feed and take care if him.

Thank you, I so appreciate all of the advice!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

All the best to Rick.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have seen an eye injury from pecking, and when there is a lot of swelling, it may be hard to tell if the chicken's eyes are intact or they can see for almost a week. I was sure my hen lost her eye, but after Terramycin ointment to the eye twice a day for several days, the eye became visible. There is a 3 rd eyelid that looks white and closes for protection, so he may still have some sight. If you can't get Terramycin eye ointment from the farm store use regular Neosporin ointment. Clean his head wounds with saline and apply Neosporin. Tube feeding for a short time may help him get nutrition while he is recovering. Here is a link about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[Themehmeh]

I'm not sentimental at all and so I am somewhat liberal with prescribing the route of putting animals down. I hope you didn't take offense to my post, I definitely understand if you don't want to do that. Best wishes and good luck and all that! I look forward to updates.

 

[offtheleash]

Themehmeh, no offense taken at all.

I'm just taking this literally hour by hour, in a week we will see.

I somewhat feel like this is my fault that he's this way, so I'm going to do my best to save him.

Never thought a cocky rooster could turn into such a baby!