rooster attacked by dog, now bald from cape to tail! now what?!

[Amyb874]

My rooster was attacked by my dads dog. (grrr) at first glance it doesn't look too bad because of the cape feathers covering up most of what's been ripped out. it's approx. 3 in x 6 in and bloody in some spots. I was trying to be gentle and looking by flashlight.
Will he grow his feathers back? is there an ointment or something to put on? will he be ok come colder weather? Wis. weather is not nice in late fall/winter! will I need to add a heat lamp to the coop?

I'll try to add pics tomorrow.

 

[Judy]

He will not likely survive if you leave him in the coop, if you have other chickens,because they will attack him. Also, flies are likely to lay eggs in the wounds, resulting in maggots, which must be removed, and can be fatal in themselves. If you bring him indoors, maybe to a bathtub, he will have a much better chance. Chickens heal remarkably well. Wounds do better with an antibiotic ointment applied once a day, or even an antieptic like Blu Kote. The only precaution is, avoid ointments that have "caine" drugs such as cetacaing, benzocaine, etc. Neosporin is fine. An initial cleansing is good, with saline, a mild Betadine solution, or even mild soap and water. Eventually the skin and feathers should regrow, if his injuries are just skin. With dog attacks, however, it is a definite possibility that there are internal injuries, and he may or may not survive them.

 

[Kelsie2290]

If it is just missing feathers he should be fine. Double check for puncture wounds or tears if the dog might have grabbed him and not just his feathers and if he has more serious injuries than you could see at first. If you have Blu-Cote or anything like that spray the bald areas and any wounds, it will help heal the wounds and keep the other chickens from pecking on him. If there are wounds you may have to keep him separate until they heal. A lot of chickens are molting right now anyhow, he should start regrowing the feathers pretty much right away. As long as he has shelter from the wind he should be fine, actually cooler weather is better for wounds in some regards because you don't have to worry about insects. You might want to feed him some high protein food or treats to help with feather regrowth.

 

[Amyb874]

Thanks for the help ! I checked him over first thing,worried that the others would start pecking him but don't believe they've even noticed.
No other injuries are seen. Walks,runs,jumps,eats,drinks fine.Only a bald spot,smaller than estimated last night. About 2x4 inches. Only an area the size of a quarter or slightly bigger is immediately noticeable, the rest of the area is hidden under the other feathers. I applied neosporin. Will watch him closely.

 

[toritori]

We have an old dog crate that folds down for easy storage. It works great for isolating one bird from the flock and wasn't very expensive. We have actually used it a few times. We set it in the corner of the kitchen; then he is safe and clean and you can easily keep an eye for other symptoms. Good luck and as my 6 year old daughter says, "We'll say a little prayer."