This morning when I went to let my 20, 8-week-old Freedom Rangers out of their coop I found one dead and three missing. Window had been forced in from the outside and with the help of the dogs, found all sorts of feathers and body bits on the hillside. I'm thinking raccoon, although I found something that I think is bear scat near one of the feather piles. It wasn't until the afternoon that I realized that one of the roosters was also injured. I hadn't noticed earlier because the injury is at the base of his tail, and the wing tips must have covered it when I was checking everyone out earlier.
After checking the depleted state of my medicine chest, I sent my daughter up to Walgreens for an antibiotic wash..hopefully a spray. While she was gone, I set up a dog crate in the garage with bedding, food and water with electrolytes. Perhaps this was a mistake, because when my daughter came back and I went to capture him, I found him taking a dirt bath and had fully caked the wound with dirt. I picked him up and noted that the dirt bath had caused the wound to bleed again.
I took him inside and as gently as I could, rinsed the wound using the hand sprayer on low water pressure. I then tried to blot him dry with paper towels and sprayed the area with the antibiotic, antiseptic spray. The wound is about the size of a quarter, or maybe a dollar coin and is right above his tail feathers. It looks like something took a bite at him and he pulled away, tearing off the feathers and part of the skin, leaving a big red circle. When I put him in the crate he went straight to the food and started eating. An hour later, he seems to be resting comfortably...although it's hard to tell with a chicken.
Is there anything else I should do?
After checking the depleted state of my medicine chest, I sent my daughter up to Walgreens for an antibiotic wash..hopefully a spray. While she was gone, I set up a dog crate in the garage with bedding, food and water with electrolytes. Perhaps this was a mistake, because when my daughter came back and I went to capture him, I found him taking a dirt bath and had fully caked the wound with dirt. I picked him up and noted that the dirt bath had caused the wound to bleed again.
I took him inside and as gently as I could, rinsed the wound using the hand sprayer on low water pressure. I then tried to blot him dry with paper towels and sprayed the area with the antibiotic, antiseptic spray. The wound is about the size of a quarter, or maybe a dollar coin and is right above his tail feathers. It looks like something took a bite at him and he pulled away, tearing off the feathers and part of the skin, leaving a big red circle. When I put him in the crate he went straight to the food and started eating. An hour later, he seems to be resting comfortably...although it's hard to tell with a chicken.
Is there anything else I should do?
