Rooster injured by coyote

[19hhbelgian]

Wow, what an incredible story!!! That is one special roo

I am definitely keeping the "rooster booster" recipe handy just in case,but hopefully not!

Great job with getting him going again!

 

[dlhunicorn]

regarding the "Rooster Booster" recipe :

...¼ teaspoon calcium powder (if you can’t get the yoghurt)..

Do NOT add this for a rooster (roosters should NOT have a layer feed nor extra calcium >only laying birds/hens need this)​

 

[Dave Z]

dlhunicorn,

I'm a bit puzzled about not giving a rooster lay mash. How do you keep him out of whatever the hens are eating? I asked at the feed store and they said the layer blends would not hurt the roo. What is the risk?.

For those who asked, I will post the recipie soon. Gotta run right now though.

BTW, I'm using the yogurt, so not adding calcium, but I am using ground up lay crumble in my "Rooster Booster."

 

[threehorses]

To be honest, although additional calcium isn't needed, if you have a mixed flock feeding laying pellets is not going to hurt the rooster. It's not the end of the world and it's not harmful.

As far as the rooster-booster recipe goes, it's a cute name for a way to get some food into injured or ill birds. It's not literally for boosting roosters.

Dave, if it makes you feel better, I've fed my chickens laying pellets for years - including the ones that I showed. They lived for years without excessive calcium issues. I just lost my last one at something like 10 years old? They tend to live to a very old age unless a predator gets them.

 

[Dave Z]

OK, here's what I've been giving Bubba. This is not my creation, it's from nnbreeder with a couple small variations. The original is on page 2 of this thread, I think.

1 egg yolk
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pediatric electrolyte

Blend all that stuff together

Cut a daily multivitamin tablet into quarters

Grind up some feed to a powder, along with 1/4 of the vitamin. (I'm using lay crumble, but I'm sure pellets or mash would also work) Then mix the powdered feed with the wet mixture, adding enough to get a paste about the consistency of thick cookie dough. You may need a half cup or more of powder.

Then I form it into little chunks of an appropriate size for the bird. You'll have enough for a couple of days, maybe three.

Bubba loves it and is doing much better. He's now eating the mixture on his own, as long as I hold it in the palm of my hand for him. Tonight, he pigged out till his crop was stuffed, but he doesn't seem to be eating crumbles out of the feeder. Maybe he's getting spoiled.

I also have not seen him drink, so I take a syringe and put just a few drops of water in the side of his beak. He swallows some of it and some of it just runs out. If he wants to swallow it he tilts his head back and down it goes. I don't think there's much risk of it going down the wrong pipe the way I'm doing it.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Roos will avoid the feed with extra calcium if they have any other source of feed (incl. free ranging) > all you have to do is set a separate feeder out with a non-layer in it and thye will eat from that (if your roos have never eaten anything but layer it may take some time but in general free choice research has shown this to be so) .... there have been several threads on this and I have posted the links concerning this in the FEEDING forum.
It is not "toxic" in the sense they will drop dead and a lot depends on if they free range for instance or have another source of feed outside the layer (and how much) > a rooster in a pen with no other source of feed except a laying formulation feed will be affected much more than a roo that has access to other feed sources.
I would not use a general HUMAN vitamin (there are a few vitamins and minerals that are toxic to poultry at fairly low strength) but as soon as possible look for a POULTRY formulation vitamin supplement (there is a brand of supplements indeed called " Rooster Booster" LOL and McMurry has a wonderful supplement you can purchase online called AviaCharge 2000).

 

[threehorses]

On feeding roosters, when I had mine separate from the girls for showing, I used to use game feed that was mainly grains. Bluebonnet (in the south) makes a beautiful one. I used that as well as laying pellets and let them decide what they wanted. They were gorgeous! But I also supplemented to show them. So take from that what you will.

As for mixed flocks, I didn't like to use it free choice because the hens would really eat a lot of the game grains which are high in Phosphorus and would throw off their cal/phos balance if they were layers. If I added grains, i always tried to make up for the balance in other ways.

 

[Dave Z]

Update. Bubba is mostly back to normal, though he isn't eating like I wish he would. I have seen him drinking on his own and his crop has had some food in it when I catch him for his "Rooster Booster" feedings. He eats the booster blend just fine on his own, but he wants it in chunks the size of a pea or bigger. Doesn't seem as interested if it's crumbly, but if I toss out some scratch, he goes right after it.

I'm pretty new to chickens, so I'm uncertain about some things. He seems to be growing new feathers where some were ripped out. He has big patches of short feathers with the little "sleeve" over them in places where they had been missing on his neck, his legs and the side of his breast. I'm surprised they're growing back so fast. I don't see as much progress on his tail feathers though. But I did find lice. I got some poultry powder so he and the hens and the coop will get treated. Any tips on that?

Anyway, he looks like he'll be fine over time. His vision seems more normal and his balance seems better. He's becoming aggressive again. Attacked my wife the other day. And he's crowing constantly.

I sure appreciate everyone's help. Many thanks!

 

[threehorses]

LOL Good ol' Bubba Rooster! I love this guy.

If you found lice, I'd treat all your birds with ivermectin drop on between the shoulders. I'd also use dust on all the premises and on the birds (two days after the ivermectin) in case. Lice are blood-takers, so the ivermectin will get them. But the dust is in case there are also feather lice - which do not take the blood, but destroy the feathers and thus the chickens' protection.

On the feathers, you're seeing "pinfeathers" - the casings around his new feathers. Give him a boost of protein as that's needed for feather building. The new feathers are a very good sign! His tail feathers might have been broken off rather than ripped. The actual full quill of the feather must have been removed from the follicle for a new feather to come in. He'll probably get them during his next molt.

Sounds like the fella is doing wonderfully! Such good news.

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

I'm so glad, sounds like he is getting some better! What an amazing rooster, he must mean alot to you and I can understand why! What a bird!!

Did you get the coyote? Hope you did!!