Injured rooster

[chickfan]

It appears that our silkie rooster got into a fight with another rooster. His comb looks pretty bad, but there was blood involved so we can't tell for sure how bad it really is. Missing feathers on neck also. He is not tame, but we'll be able to get him after he goes to roost tonight.
He is running around like normal...eating, scratching in the leaves, etc. We aren't sure whether we should try to clean him up, or just let it be. I do have some Triple antibiotic plus which has a pain reliever in it, but it is Pramoxine HCL...nothing that ends with "caine", which I have heard to avoid. Would this be OK to use, if we do decide to catch him tonight?
Thanks for any advice! I have dealt with crazy problems, like eye infections and prolapse, but this type injury is new to me.

 

[rooster0209]

Just remove him from the others. Chickens love the smell of blood and will continue to attack the wounded one. If you don't have issues with flies, then I would leave the wound alone and let it heal itself. Don't return him to general population until the wound is healed and the scab is gone.

 

[Terri O]

If he is acting normal I guess I would just let him be, especially since he is not tame. You might stress him more with the "cure." Roosters will fight and I try not to mess with them--they figure it out eventually. HTH--Terri O

 

[darkfur]

if you need to clean it up, saline solution would be just fine. Betadine if anything looks infected.

 

[chickfan]

I knew I wouldn't sleep well if I didn't bring the rooster inside where I could take a good look at him. He was very cooperative once I snatched him off his roost, and he was cuddled next to a rooster that could have been the one he fought with. Maybe not. Anyway, he sat sweetly on my lap while I checked him out, turned his head here and there, and I promise he seemed to enjoy it! He was so relaxed and even sort of closed his eyes. I took a picture. He has a different comb...I think silkies have them usually...sort of lumpy. I have no clue what it is called.

There was no bleeding, but there was dried blood and feathers still with blood. I went ahead with the neosporin ointment, hoping I didn't make a mistake.
He was bright eyed and seemed fine, so I have fingers crossed that he will be OK. I would love to have given him a bath to get the dried blood off his feathers, but couldn't do that. Whatever it was that he fought with, certainly pulled a bunch of feathers out of his neck. I guess another chicken would do that, but DH went out the minute he heard the noise, and by the time he got there, he was not even sure that the above mentioned rooster was the one that fought with him. That one just has blood on his feathers, but no injury in sight, so how could there be this much injury to one chicken in such a short time, and nothing at all on a rooster much smaller? I'm rather confused. They have been together for nearly a year, with no fighting at all. I can't help but wonder if maybe a raccoon or some other predator got to him in broad daylight, and ran before DH could get there.
If the others are pecking at him tomorrow, I have a cage I can put him in until he gets well.

 

[jeslewmazer]

to clean him up a 50/50 or 25/75 rubbing alcohol/water that clean and help disinfect. As for what could have happened.....If the smaller rooster has nothing at all they were probably not fighting. Dog, raccoon, even a hawk. If he was not fighting another rooster then he must have won his fight with whatever it was. Weasels will pop a head off just like a raccoon. Possums and cats can be problems too.
Watch for swelling of his head but he looks fine. I have had much worse that pull through with no extra treatment other than disinfectant. If he is running around and acting normal I would not worry about pain. They seem to have a high pain tolerance and don't even seem to notice. The ointment will be fine and should kinda act like a bandage. I use the alcohol solution and when air dry I spray Bactine and just watch to make sure there is no infection (which is rare for me).

 

[chickfan]

He is in a cage alone now, since the others started picking on him this morning. He is pacing and wants out, and acts like nothing is wrong. We'll leave him caged for awhile though.
I was going to get Blue Kote, assuming the feed stores have it. Is spray Bactine better? Or should I have both on hand?
I really appreciate the help! I may bring him in and give him the alchohol wash that you recommended, Jeslewmazer. I should have thought about that and done it last night, but I didn't.

 

[chicknmania]

We have eight roos and they will sometimes fight for a while, then next time you see them they're co-existing peacefully. They seem to fight when they are forced to be closer together, like now, when they can't go out due to the snow, and there's nothing to do They also fight if we are late with breakfast. They do bleed a lot b/c in fighting they go for the head; eyes, combs, wattles. Usually it looks worse than it really is. If we can't catch ours we don't worry about it unless it is incapacitating, and they have been fine. If you keep your silkie cooped up too long he will have a worse problem when he tries go back out and join the others, you'll just have a repeat of the same thing, only worse. If I were you I;d wash his wounds with saline, put some neosporin on, and let him back out with the flock. They'll figure it out.

 

[chickfan]

I've already been dreading putting him back out with the others. But I told DH I thought we should put him up alone, just for now, just to make sure he is OK and up to being back out to defend himself. I plan to let him out tomorrow. I may not can resist standing nearby with a broom though! I sure hate this, but I know it does happen. We've just had chickens about a year, and have not really had this problem before.

 

[jeslewmazer]

It can be nerve racking in the beginning but it does get easier. He should be healed enough in 2-3 days which should not hurt his pecking order and wont if he is the only roo in that pen. This is one of the many reasons people chose to dub their chickens. But you don't have to do this because he will heal and later you might not be able to tell it even happened. Breath.