Rooster attacked, has eye injury HELP!

[Angie1701]

This is my 11 yr old daughters favorite pet, Black Star. We had a predator of some sort get into the yard on Monday night. It took one of her little bantam hens and apparently this guy tried to fight it off. He has a wing that he seems to be holding a little low that has some scratches on it and is missing a lot of feathers but I don't feel an obvious break anywhere. The eye is most concerning. I haven't tried to pry it open because I'm sure it's painful and it's crusted pretty hard closed. There is a lot of swelling. We thought we had lost him too but he showed back up in the yard yesterday. What should we do to help him? Vet isn't an option today. I have saline solution and terramycin on had but nothing is getting in there! Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Try a warm wet washcloth as a wet compress to his eye while holding him. Repeat it with more warm water to the cloth until you can open his eye. Then flush it with a little saline. Apply a small dot of the Terramycin Eye Ointment just inside the eye twice a day. Vetericyn eye wash or eye gel are food alternatives. Usually, there is a lot of swelling from an eye injury, so sometimes it will be hard to tell if the eye is damaged. Make sure that you offer him food and water up where he can see thiem. Good luck.

 

[Angie1701]

Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to help us today! First time giving first aid to a chicken here. What happens if the eye IS damaged? Is it the same as it is with cats and dogs where the eye would have to be surgically removed by a vet?

 

[Ivy Love]

Hi, i just read this. Just recently, my cat got a hole/poke in his eye from a fight, and the vet gave me some medication to put on it. Perhaps it is the same for you. I am not sure if his eye is injured, and your best bet would be to have a vet look him over

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings Angie1701

I had something similar happen to one of my roosters. It's not fun having anyone messing with your eye. Eggcessive gave good treatment advice to follow. Also, if you have a broad spectrum antibiotic you can give him for 5-7 days that would be good too.

His eye can heal if you treat with the Terramycin consistently. Will it be normal again? You will have to wait and see, in about a week or so. What you have to watch out for, is secondary infection.

I focused on my rooster's eye injury and never thought he was suffering. After a week, he suddenly collapsed while I was working in his pen. I quickly took him to my Vet, and he was diagnosed with a serious respiratory infection. His body temp had fallen very low. I had to treat with antibiotic injections and bring him in the house for 2 days, till he was back on his feet.

I recommend that you put your rooster in a hospital crate for a few days, with time out for exercise daily. Then, you can administer medication and observe his progress. If you have multiple roosters, then you will have to keep them together of course. Otherwise he will not be able to return to the coop.

Provide supportive care.
Feed him well: diced cooked meat protein or cooked eggs, diced fruit, diced black or red grapes, fresh greens, cooked grains like: brown rice, wheat berries, oat groats, pearl barley, also some toast with butter is good. Always offer him feed daily, too.

Clean fresh water daily. I like to add some echinacea tea or aloe vera, to boost the immune system.

Keep him out of cold and windy conditions till he is fully recovered.

These are my thoughts...I hope they are helpful.