Injured hen and rooster

[gpymama]

Hi there! I am a new member, but have visited this page many times while keeping chickens the past year. So last Thursday a mink chewed a hole into my coop and killed a hen, another hen died from a possible heart attack, so she did not look injured. Another hen is very injured, large cut on her back near her bumb. I have put blue coat on twice, she is active and acting pretty normal. My rooster got a cut or two on his face one near his eye. When I caught the mink in the act the rooster was actually on his back not moving, to the point I thought he was dead. He was unconscious for five to ten minutes after we discovered what was happening in the coop. He is acting very down, have not seen him eat, and have seen him drink water. I cannot see any blood anywhere except for the cut on his face. His comb is starting to droop, and he sleeps constantly. I also have not heard him make a sound since the attack. He is normally chatty and talks a lot to the hens. It’s been five days since the attack. Could he just still be healing? Also we are in the process of predator proofing our coop so they have been living inside in the basement. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[ashlierami]

Hi there! I am a new member, but have visited this page many times while keeping chickens the past year. So last Thursday a mink chewed a hole into my coop and killed a hen, another hen died from a possible heart attack, so she did not look injured. Another hen is very injured, large cut on her back near her bumb. I have put blue coat on twice, she is active and acting pretty normal. My rooster got a cut or two on his face one near his eye. When I caught the mink in the act the rooster was actually on his back not moving, to the point I thought he was dead. He was unconscious for five to ten minutes after we discovered what was happening in the coop. He is acting very down, have not seen him eat, and have seen him drink water. I cannot see any blood anywhere except for the cut on his face. His comb is starting to droop, and he sleeps constantly. I also have not heard him make a sound since the attack. He is normally chatty and talks a lot to the hens. It’s been five days since the attack. Could he just still be healing? Also we are in the process of predator proofing our coop so they have been living inside in the basement. Any advice is appreciated!

The hen should make a full recovery given that you keep her wound clean and protected ( with ointment or blue spray). The rooster could be suffering shock. I would give him extra TLC. Provide fresh food and water. Electrolytes in the water could help. Boiled eggs are a life saver food when birds won't eat their normal food. Make sure he's not bullied and kept dry and warm. He will need time to self heal. Does he poop? How does it look? If your able to I would check him over. Check his legs for resistance, and under his wings for bruising. Also feel his breastbone make sure there's no swelling or broken bones.

 

[gpymama]

The hen should make a full recovery given that you keep her wound clean and protected ( with ointment or blue spray). The rooster could be suffering shock. I would give him extra TLC. Provide fresh food and water. Electrolytes in the water could help. Boiled eggs are a life saver food when birds won't eat their normal food. Make sure he's not bullied and kept dry and warm. He will need time to self heal. Does he poop? How does it look? If your able to I would check him over. Check his legs for resistance, and under his wings for bruising. Also feel his breastbone make sure there's no swelling or broken bones.

I have done the blue spray on the hen, and put a little on a q-tip and dabbed it on my roo’s cuts. I have checked him a few times under his wings and can’t feel anything. He walks normal and can get up and down, he just seems to sleep constantly. I wondered about shock too... what about depression? ‍ Is that ridiculous?

 

[Shadrach]

I wondered about shock too... what about depression? ‍ Is that ridiculous?

No, I don't think it is ridiculous.
He's jusr seen his flock decimated by a predator. He may have lost his favorite hen.
People talk about not anthropomorphising but I'm pretty sure chickens have emotional responses and suffer trauma.
Shock can take a while to get over.
@ashlierami has given good advice.
I hope he recovers.
BTW, welcome to BYC!

 

[roosterhavoc]

If it was actually shock he’d be dead by now. Try giving the rooster sugar water or dextrose mixed in water. He’s obviously down but probably weak from not eating and drinking.

 

[gpymama]

No, I don't think it is ridiculous.
He's jusr seen his flock decimated by a predator. He may have lost his favorite hen.
People talk about not anthropomorphising but I'm pretty sure chickens have emotional responses and suffer trauma.
Shock can take a while to get over.
@ashlierami has given good advice.
I hope he recovers.
BTW, welcome to BYC!

He did lose his favourite hen. They were rescue hens, and she had just moulded and was the whitest and fluffiest of all

 

[ashlierami]

I have done the blue spray on the hen, and put a little on a q-tip and dabbed it on my roo’s cuts. I have checked him a few times under his wings and can’t feel anything. He walks normal and can get up and down, he just seems to sleep constantly. I wondered about shock too... what about depression? ‍ Is that ridiculous?

It's not ridiculous but very accurate. My rooster lost his best friend last December and he stopped crowing and doing his normal routine. He was also injured but not enough to cause him to be as down as he was. Time went by I cared for him and allowed him to sit in the warm coop all day if he chose to. He made a full recovery and eventually started crowing again and being himself. I hope your birds get well soon.

 

[gpymama]

Thank you for your comments. I actually almost cried. I am so sad over losing my hens. I am now hopeful Gandalf (my roo) will get better.

 

[ashlierami]

Thank you for your comments. I actually almost cried. I am so sad over losing my hens. I am now hopeful Gandalf (my roo) will get better.

I completely understand! My birds are my babies! I've lost so many this year to coyotes and racoons it's unreal. I'm attached to each in a special way. I also have quail and my eldest died about a month ago he was 6 and a half years old it broke my heart. I hope your birds get better so keep us updated on their progress!

 

[RidaCruel]

Did your rooster ever bounce back? My flock got attacked by a mink over a week ago. One of the most devastating things I've experienced. We had 6, two were already gone when we got home. 2 by some miracle we're untouched. 1 was 90% gone which we had to mercy kill (not fun). And the last one had a pretty big gash on the back of her neck. We did BlueKote and offered lots of electrolyte water. She's moving around by herself a little bit and sometimes drinking, but not eating. I'm real worried about this poor bird. And I miss my others so much. I had no idea how attached I would get to their different personalities.