rooster &hen attacked by dog seemed fine now rotting weak and maggoted

[HubertsFarm]

woke up this morning.. he is still alive.. took him to the front yard and he pooped, brought him back inside and he is walking around kinda anxious to be inside but thinking about his water and food offered to him... well see P.s. no signs of any maggots, yet.

 

[Naunnie]

Yay! I'm so glad he is showing signs of improvement. I think you did great treating his wounds.

I would keep him inside until the wounds start to heal. He may love all the attention....but he may also stress being away from the flock. You could bring in a house mate for him....for just a few days maybe. If he has contact with any of the others, watch them closely. You don't want anyone pecking at his wounds.

Two products you can pick-up at feed store that may help. Blu-Kote is a wound dressing that also helps camouflage the redness. Swat is a a ointment designed for horses, but can be used on other animals. It can be used around the wounds to repel flies. You might also want to pick-up some poultry vitamins to help boost his immune system. I have read that Poly-vi-sol (without iron) can also be used for vitamin supplement. You can do a search here for more information about it.

I hope he has started eating and drinking. That would be a really good sign! You can offer a cooled scrambled egg. Maybe the kids would go catch him some bugs or dig up some worms for him.

I will keep y'all in my thoughts. Keep us updated okay.

 

[HubertsFarm]

he is inside the house now soo flies arent really a problem at this point... it is more less the maggots but.... at what point do maggots decide to turn into flies? wont they have to eventually come OUT of him to do so.... if ANY did get all the way inside..... he is a bit of a green hue pea sized in some areas on his back. is this VERY BAD? he is crowing likea nut.... i havnt SEEEN any more maggots but keep checking and will keep checking.. i got the penicillin..

 

[seminolewind]

You can drown the maggots. Spraying them with horse spray on the area works. Or soaking them in flea and tick shampoo.

 

[HubertsFarm]

the harshness of a pesticide on a chicken with open wounds is fair;y dangerous, we are just keeping him inside away from the elements and rinseing him often to be certain there are no more maggots... i havnt seen any and we are believeing the best contrary to the negative nancy's around us... :/

 

[Frost Homestead]

sounds like youre taking good care of him, if he's crowing that's always a good sign. chickens are surprisingly resilient creatures, I bet he'll heal up before you know it

 

[ten chicks]

the harshness of a pesticide on a chicken with open wounds is fair;y dangerous, we are just keeping him inside away from the elements and rinseing him often to be certain there are no more maggots... i havnt seen any and we are believeing the best contrary to the negative nancy's around us... :/

Yes,keep flushing out wounds,you will eventually get them all. Maggots are dangerous and disgusting as they will eat live flesh. If you are concerned about the green pea sized lumps,you can lance them to ensure nothing is inside,or wait and see if the antibiotic helps. Clean and rinse wounds several times a day,watch for infection,signs of infection are:swelling,redness,foul smell from wounds,chicken becoming lethargic,not eating/drinking. Keep wounds uncovered to let the air circulate and dry them up,but if maggots are going to be a problem,then cover wounds with a light sterile gauze,apply antibiotic ointment(nothing ending in "caine/cane"toxic to chickens)to gauze this will prevent it from sticking to wounds.

 

[lilypad]

I don't think there's anything I can add to the wonderful advice you've been given, I just want to say it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job. Such an awful thing to have happened, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and your roo, keep us updated. Sending lots of positive vibes you way!

x

 

[HubertsFarm]

well.. it has been a while since I updated..... malcom is back in the nest and his feathers are growing back. he is happy and crowing and keeping up with the pack... his skin is not squishy and rottish any more more like leather.... scabby kinda but dry and things are looking great BUT he used to sleep on top of all the boxes with a few of the other original birds.. like the dominate pack but now he is sleeping in a bottom box of four box stories... did he loose his place in the pecking order? did he give it up? his hen is on top but hes not... whatcha all think?

 

[lilypad]

Awww great to hear he's doing so much better

I've never had a cockerel, but if he's not feeling 100% the others will know, once things are back to normal I would guess he would move back up to the top, I've had this happen to my top hen in the past