Possible Rooster Fight... Barely moving, coughing up blood

[AlohaChickenGuy]

This just coming in....

ZOMBiES SPOTTED WALKING IN HAWAII!

Tried to get a video of his gait so you all might be able to identify what is going on. My wife thinks it's his hip, but he's getting around a bit.

Our deformed rooster immediately tried to attack him so I had to clear the area with a water hose to open some space for him to spend some time outside in the grass.

 

[Chickengirl2671]

That's amazing! I'm so glad all of your hard work and dedication paid off.
It sounds like he'll make a full recovery.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Leg or hip injury, hard to know. Injuries can take quite a while to recover from.
I would continue doing what your doing. Get some protein into him along with B2 and E.
I would still limit activity as well, but it's good to see him moving about. Tough bird!

I was afraid he might get attacked. He's in a weakened state so the other(s) will take advantage of that for sure.

 

[AlohaChickenGuy]

Leg or hip injury, hard to know. Injuries can take quite a while to recover from.
I would continue doing what your doing. Get some protein into him along with B2 and E.
I would still limit activity as well, but it's good to see him moving about. Tough bird!

I was afraid he might get attacked. He's in a weakened state so the other(s) will take advantage of that for sure.

Yeah my wife was the one that was like... He needs physical therapy outside in the soft grass. I was like... No no Zombie needs his epsom salt baths and R&R. But it was nice seeing him get around.

As for the other chicken, it was just one being a jerk. The deformed one, Chicken Joe, is now the oldest and technically in charge. He's our favorite, but he's a bit of a punk since he usually just runs from fights. If Zombie doesn't come back as the guardian, something bad is probably going to eventually happen to him. It's like really liking a person for their personality, but you know they aren't a capable leader.

Zombie must rise again.


Thank you @Chicken girl2671 . Today, I missed promotion by less than a point so it's been a rough day. Everyone asked me why if I was making rank so fast as a medic, did I change jobs where I've been stuck in the same rank for over 6 years. I told them because this job pays A LOT more when I become a civilian and that I can still save a lives in my own way whether it's donating blood/plasma or saving chickens. They were all laughing about the chicken comment, so then told them about finding Zombie just a week ago in my flooded yard and the medic in me immediately said, I'm not gonna let you die. The moment that he looked at me then shut his eyes and wouldn't open them back up - I knew that I had to save him. His recovery and your comment means a lot.

 

[AlohaChickenGuy]

Aloha,

Zombie is becoming slightly stronger today. However, he has developed a new habit.

Instead of being content laying flat to rest - He has started propping himself against the corners of his recovery tote.

I looked this up for roosters and quite a few things came up between parasites, but a few stated that there could be a hip/leg issue. I definitely think he has a hip injury of some sort.

I can feel no significant deformities. Could it simply be sore? Can chickens tear ligaments/muscle in fights?

Stool is starting to become solid, but he still as a bit of white diarrhea in the mornings. I am administering 125-250mg (estimate) of Amox antibiotics to prevent bacteria resistance nightly - I think that might be the reason why his morning stool is loose.

He continues to enjoy eggs, chia seeds, oatmeal, and water with electrolyte drops + ACV + sugar.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

He's looking better.
Propping up..he's just learning how to find more comfortable positions instead of laying down all the time.
A small step forward!

 

[AlohaChickenGuy]

Today, Zombie decided he was going to start to try to crow as he sat watching the other chickens in the backyard. It was very exciting as this was the first time he has been highly vocal since the accident. I took this as his request to go outside with the other chickens.

He started walking around but quickly became fatigued. We held the new dominant rooster while putting food in front of him to eat. He laid down and no one disturbed him. Some event moved away when he started to growl a bit at them out of frustration of being around him as he was trying to eat. I felt as though this meant he still sits at higher tier of the pecking order, even with many other younger roosters and hens about.

He would get up to try and move sometimes, but end up stumbling about and falling back on his right wing/rear.

He ate some oatmeal today, lots of chia seeds, some regular chicken/bird seed, and lots of water with electrolyte drops + ACV + sugar + antibiotics (went ahead and added it to water since he hates taking by mouth).

I am supposed to leave island Thursday and cannot find anyone that wants to watch over him. I am hoping that he is up/walking by the time I go to leave. The dominant rooster (who is disabled) is going to be going to my son's girlfriend's house since we don't want anything bad to happen to him.

Would it be a horrible idea to leave him here if he is able to walk around? If he was beaten by another Big Rooster in the neighborhood - What is the probability that they would fight again?

He is doing so well... I just wish I knew of someone that would take care of him since I am going to mainland for the holidays.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear he's still improving.

I do wish you had someone willing to look after him while you were gone.

There's no way to know what will happen, the others may not bother him at all, but ime, there's a good chance the other rooster (or younger cockerels/stags) may take advantage of the situation. Big Rooster may not if he's not challenged, but young "up and coming" fellas, well...who knows.
I don't mean to sound negative, you live there and have had the opportunity to observe the personality of these birds, so you may see things that I have not observed. I just know what would happen if it were my birds/strains that I work with, it would not turn out very well.

Would your son's girlfriend be willing to take both birds for the duration? Does she have a yard where you can temporarily put up some plastic fencing or block off a corner to make a pen for him, that way he can be outside, but protected? Just trying to think of solutions.
Everyone's situation is different, so the one may be all she's able to take on and that's quite understandable as well.

 

[AlohaChickenGuy]

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Zombie passed today.

I am currently in Kentucky. Zombie was not doing well as I observed him on camera the past 2 weeks. He did not grow stronger. He struggled to climb up on our couch. The other chickens were picking on him repeatedly.

A neighbor went to check on him last night and reported he wasn't doing well. She refused to take him inside saying her dog would likely kill him despite asking her to do so given his condition.

Today I noticed the same Big Rooster that fought him on my camera and asked her to check on him again because I was worried... She found him beaten and dead. She reported that she buried him.

I feel guilty that I had to leave him early without him fully recovering. I feel upset everyone refused to bring him inside despite asking three people multiple times. I feel like maybe this was just the way it was supposed to be because he wasn't recovering or doing any better.

I return home in 3 days. All he had to do was make it 3 more days... I'm just sad.

 

[cfonts]

I am SO sorry for your loss. I kept checking this thread to see if there were updates, because I was wondering how Zombie was doing I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now and I'm so sorry that everyone you reached out to, refused to bring him inside I know that this is not the outcome you were hoping for, but I hope that you'll find some comfort in knowing that you did what you could for him and you showed him nothing but kindness while he was under your care