Sunshine Flock
Crowing
A coyote grabbed our rooster.
I'm vigilantly free ranging the chickens, but "vigilant" is a mixed bag, since a predator can grab and run in the blink of an eye, and within feet of where you're standing. So, I knew they were at risk.
Our rooster is a lovely chap, a hired hand so to speak. He threw himself at the coyote, no doubt, and saved our hens. This was why we wanted a rooster. I didn't see the snatch and grab, but I did hear a sound from the chickens that was not normal for them. I ran and saw a coyote coming back for more, no chicken in her mouth. Frightened by me, she then turned and ran back into the woods.
I spent a quick second counting chickens and realized the rooster was missing. I raced in the direction of the coyote and, purely following my instincts, just happened to take the right series of paths that led to him. He had been left in a small clearing, hidden out of sight. It was quite amazing that I ran directly to him without any missteps, second guesses or delays.
I've never known a coyote to take prey, leave it for a later meal, and come back for more to add to his stash. I don't think there were more than that one coyote.
My rooster was badly hurt. But amazingly he was grabbed on his sides near the back and up to the midsection of his wings. His heck, head and spine weren't touched. When I brought him home and put him in a safe place, he tried standing and fell over. His instinct to find his hens was causing him stress, I think.
His wattle turned a blue/black on the tops, and the red color faded quite a bit.
I set him down on a folded blanket for padding and snipped away all feathers and pulled out dried grass from the forest. The only medicine I'm using is Manuka honey. I won't use standard meds. I did put a drop of Nutri-Drench in his beak, and then I diluted some in water, but I waited to give him water until I was done applying the honey.
As an aside, I used a petite vintage, silver plated butter knife to apply the honey. It acts like a paddle and allowed me to apply the honey gently and without any fuss or problems.
He was alert throughout the lengthy process. When I was done, I placed him on a blanket inside a dog crate so he couldn't move around. The pine shavings we use for the coop and brooder would have gotten in his wounds.
For water I filled a small dish and added some Nutri-Drench and held a spoon to his beak. He wouldn't drink, so I held the spoon up closer with his beak in the water. He drank some water. I did this every hour without forcing it on him. The last time I did this, he dipped his beak into the bowl, bypassing the spoon, and drank on his own.
For food I'm not really sure what to do, other than mix some hulled pumpkin seeds in with his layer feed and hold it in my hand. I left his feed on the blanket within his reach, but I don't think he was interested. It was only when I added the pumpkin seeds that he ate, and as they always do for the seeds (so far the only treat I give them, aside from organic lettuce, since they forage), he gobbled it up.
It's now evening and his comb has more red in it and some of the dark blue or black areas have softened in color.
I'm about to apply more honey. It seems it soaks in quite a bit and doesn't just drip away from body heat, which is surprising. I've applied it twice today and then once more in a few minutes. I think he needs more applications, perhaps five in a day, so I'll start that tomorrow.
I'm not thrilled at the prospect of culling the poor guy, but I'm also not interested in conducting a science experiment should he show signs of a lessened vitality and seeing how long I can coax him along. With the extent of his wounds, infection is possible, and that's what could lead to his end. That's why I think I need more honey applications to ensure a constant coating.
A couple of questions, if you've managed to read this far:
Should I have any concern about trimming back his wing feathers? They will regrow? The main concern is air flow around the wounds and easy of application for the honey. I also need an easy visual on the wounds under his wings.
What are some signs I should be aware of for a suffering chicken and a chicken declining? Also, I've read aspirin for pain is often given to chickens. But his wounds are deep, and I'm wondering if there are risks to giving aspirin to a chicken who is otherwise showing good signs of vitality.
In other words, keep him physically comfortable, give him some Rescue Remedy to help relax him, and hold off on anything else?
He was shivering when I first cut off tons of feathers and exposed his wounds. I thought perhaps they were mild convulsions, but when I turned on a heater (not blowing on him) and came back about 30 minutes later, he wasn't shivering anymore.
Are there wing wraps I can use? I think I've seen a non-sticky tape that attaches to itself without any kind of glue. I'm wondering where I can find that. I'll see if Tractor Supply has some. Is it a good idea to use it to hold his wings together to restrict movement? I think he uses his wings to help stabilize himself so he doesn't tip to one side. So perhaps let them be?
And now for the doozy.
I heard a rasping breathing sound from under a wing, every time he took a breath. He wasn't struggling to breathe, but clearly a lung had been punctured. I pretty much thought he was doomed and hesitated in applying any honey near the small opening where this was happening. But since I had my doubts about his survival of more than a few hours, and I read recently that lungs can be surprisingly resilient, I went ahead and applied a coating of honey. I waited several minutes and noticed nothing that would indicate labored breathing or a change of some kind.
So I left the honey in place and reapplied it later.
I'd welcome feedback on what I've shared. I'm only trying to be a super hero to my darling rooster, not to anyone online. This isn't a show and tell. He is in jeopardy, and if I've missed an important step or am being foolish in not culling him, I'd like to know. No hard feelings whatsoever.
I did learn the importance of a proper emergency kit. I had bits and pieces, and yes, I did buy the Manuka honey for the chickens a few months back and never had to use it until now. I'm going to add Rescue Remedy to my supplies, and although people tend to apply the honey without using a saline wash or perhaps a grapefruit seed extract wash (gleaned from the forums and elsewhere), I skipped this step, unsure if I wanted to add water and risk any immediate germ growth.
He has a very long recovery, I think, and must be kept separate from the hens while he has open wounds. He's in the house in a spare room. I'm kind of feeling that if I see a decline in temperament and vitality in the next three days, that I need to seriously consider stepping up and sparing him the misery.
Please share your thoughts on all of this. Thank you.
I'm vigilantly free ranging the chickens, but "vigilant" is a mixed bag, since a predator can grab and run in the blink of an eye, and within feet of where you're standing. So, I knew they were at risk.
Our rooster is a lovely chap, a hired hand so to speak. He threw himself at the coyote, no doubt, and saved our hens. This was why we wanted a rooster. I didn't see the snatch and grab, but I did hear a sound from the chickens that was not normal for them. I ran and saw a coyote coming back for more, no chicken in her mouth. Frightened by me, she then turned and ran back into the woods.
I spent a quick second counting chickens and realized the rooster was missing. I raced in the direction of the coyote and, purely following my instincts, just happened to take the right series of paths that led to him. He had been left in a small clearing, hidden out of sight. It was quite amazing that I ran directly to him without any missteps, second guesses or delays.
I've never known a coyote to take prey, leave it for a later meal, and come back for more to add to his stash. I don't think there were more than that one coyote.
My rooster was badly hurt. But amazingly he was grabbed on his sides near the back and up to the midsection of his wings. His heck, head and spine weren't touched. When I brought him home and put him in a safe place, he tried standing and fell over. His instinct to find his hens was causing him stress, I think.
His wattle turned a blue/black on the tops, and the red color faded quite a bit.
I set him down on a folded blanket for padding and snipped away all feathers and pulled out dried grass from the forest. The only medicine I'm using is Manuka honey. I won't use standard meds. I did put a drop of Nutri-Drench in his beak, and then I diluted some in water, but I waited to give him water until I was done applying the honey.
As an aside, I used a petite vintage, silver plated butter knife to apply the honey. It acts like a paddle and allowed me to apply the honey gently and without any fuss or problems.
He was alert throughout the lengthy process. When I was done, I placed him on a blanket inside a dog crate so he couldn't move around. The pine shavings we use for the coop and brooder would have gotten in his wounds.
For water I filled a small dish and added some Nutri-Drench and held a spoon to his beak. He wouldn't drink, so I held the spoon up closer with his beak in the water. He drank some water. I did this every hour without forcing it on him. The last time I did this, he dipped his beak into the bowl, bypassing the spoon, and drank on his own.
For food I'm not really sure what to do, other than mix some hulled pumpkin seeds in with his layer feed and hold it in my hand. I left his feed on the blanket within his reach, but I don't think he was interested. It was only when I added the pumpkin seeds that he ate, and as they always do for the seeds (so far the only treat I give them, aside from organic lettuce, since they forage), he gobbled it up.
It's now evening and his comb has more red in it and some of the dark blue or black areas have softened in color.
I'm about to apply more honey. It seems it soaks in quite a bit and doesn't just drip away from body heat, which is surprising. I've applied it twice today and then once more in a few minutes. I think he needs more applications, perhaps five in a day, so I'll start that tomorrow.
I'm not thrilled at the prospect of culling the poor guy, but I'm also not interested in conducting a science experiment should he show signs of a lessened vitality and seeing how long I can coax him along. With the extent of his wounds, infection is possible, and that's what could lead to his end. That's why I think I need more honey applications to ensure a constant coating.
A couple of questions, if you've managed to read this far:
Should I have any concern about trimming back his wing feathers? They will regrow? The main concern is air flow around the wounds and easy of application for the honey. I also need an easy visual on the wounds under his wings.
What are some signs I should be aware of for a suffering chicken and a chicken declining? Also, I've read aspirin for pain is often given to chickens. But his wounds are deep, and I'm wondering if there are risks to giving aspirin to a chicken who is otherwise showing good signs of vitality.
In other words, keep him physically comfortable, give him some Rescue Remedy to help relax him, and hold off on anything else?
He was shivering when I first cut off tons of feathers and exposed his wounds. I thought perhaps they were mild convulsions, but when I turned on a heater (not blowing on him) and came back about 30 minutes later, he wasn't shivering anymore.
Are there wing wraps I can use? I think I've seen a non-sticky tape that attaches to itself without any kind of glue. I'm wondering where I can find that. I'll see if Tractor Supply has some. Is it a good idea to use it to hold his wings together to restrict movement? I think he uses his wings to help stabilize himself so he doesn't tip to one side. So perhaps let them be?
And now for the doozy.
I heard a rasping breathing sound from under a wing, every time he took a breath. He wasn't struggling to breathe, but clearly a lung had been punctured. I pretty much thought he was doomed and hesitated in applying any honey near the small opening where this was happening. But since I had my doubts about his survival of more than a few hours, and I read recently that lungs can be surprisingly resilient, I went ahead and applied a coating of honey. I waited several minutes and noticed nothing that would indicate labored breathing or a change of some kind.
So I left the honey in place and reapplied it later.
I'd welcome feedback on what I've shared. I'm only trying to be a super hero to my darling rooster, not to anyone online. This isn't a show and tell. He is in jeopardy, and if I've missed an important step or am being foolish in not culling him, I'd like to know. No hard feelings whatsoever.
I did learn the importance of a proper emergency kit. I had bits and pieces, and yes, I did buy the Manuka honey for the chickens a few months back and never had to use it until now. I'm going to add Rescue Remedy to my supplies, and although people tend to apply the honey without using a saline wash or perhaps a grapefruit seed extract wash (gleaned from the forums and elsewhere), I skipped this step, unsure if I wanted to add water and risk any immediate germ growth.
He has a very long recovery, I think, and must be kept separate from the hens while he has open wounds. He's in the house in a spare room. I'm kind of feeling that if I see a decline in temperament and vitality in the next three days, that I need to seriously consider stepping up and sparing him the misery.
Please share your thoughts on all of this. Thank you.
