Rooster rescued from a coyote, using Manuka honey

[Sunshine Flock]

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.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Henry was grabbed by a coyote five weeks ago today and relocated to a private little alcove in the woods on BLM land, across the road from our home — and the boy still lives.

Here's a video I took of Henry's progress six days ago. Please read the description that accompanies the video:

About eight days ago I added turmeric to Henry's healing repertoire. I doused his legs that night, and the next morning I noticed a slight reduction in swelling and some dryness to his leg sores.

The turmeric and the addition of Belladonna (homeopathic remedy) has significantly contributed to his healing. Each remedy I've used resulted in measurable healing. There isn't one I feel he could have done without.

I now sleep in Henry's room (doggy logistics, cat logistics, husband logistics all necessitate this) and am greeted with a hearty round of crows every morning. His mad clucking has returned (done whenever Rosemary lays her egg in the rosemary shrub and comes out mad clucking), and he is hobble walking.

And the big news is that yesterday I took Henry outside to free range with his flock. He hobble walked right off the blanket about twelve feet and wasted no time dipping his beak into a patch of teeny little green grass starts, and spent a blissful twenty-five minutes surrounded by the hens, who never left his side.

He's having problems reasserting his leadership with the head hen, but I'm hopeful they'll figure it out in due time.

Yes, indeed, the boy continues to live and amaze.

Thank you @biophiliac @Birdinhand @Hen Pen Jem for your herbal and homeopathic guidance and feedback on Henry's progress. I sure hope this discussion is found by others and helps inspire natural healing for our feathered friends.

Peace and apples, folks!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have heard of putting saran wrap over chest punctures and then wrap with vet wrap. I would rather see antibiotic ointment on that wound.
You are doing a great job and i hope he heals up quickly. Hugs.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Give him a few days to see how he does.

It won't hurt to trim feathers out of the way of the wounds so you can monitor them more easily. Getting him warm was good - the shivering was most likely shock. A sick or injured chicken will benefit from a warm area to be in (75-80F) but you will need to watch for overheating.

For wounds - imho, they will heal better unwrapped. I would just keep the honey on them.

It sounds like you are doing well taking care of him. Getting him hydrated is most important. For food, if he isn't interested in his normal feed, you can try hard boiled/scrambled egg or tuna. Nutri-Drench is good - either add that to his water for a couple of days following the bottle instructions or you can direct dose him at 1cc per 3lbs of weight 1time per day.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

I am very pleased with Henry's progress! I did have a conversation about him, with God, at about 1 a.m. this morning. For some reason, I am thinking of your rooster through out the day. And every time I have posted to you...I feel I have been directed too. Animals are beautiful, they serve many purposes and roles on the planet. And they are important to God, after all, He is the Creator!

Luke 12:6
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

 

[Sunshine Flock]

How to bathe a rooster, the condensed version.

Condensed instructions, that is. Although I have to say, Henry is a condensed version of his former rooster self with half of those darned feathers snipped off.

Okay, so get a tub, preferably not the one your husband uses for his vintage snapback hat collection. But if it's the perfect size to float a rooster with enough room for his head to stick out so he can watch his hens watching him, it'll do.

That's what I used.

Boil a stew pot 3/4 full of water and add three cups of epsom salt. I always tend to overdo things, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were to tell me I only needed a teaspoon.

I boiled the water for five minutes to purify it, but I'm not sure that was necessary. It's one of those "It can't hurt, so why not" things, and maybe it even helps.

But you kind of undo the water purification when you cut it with cold water direct from the tap.

Anyhoo, moving on.

Place the tub on a towel in the rooster recovery room and nudge it up close to the sliding glass door. A spare towel is a really good idea because unexpected things can happen when you're floating a rooster in a tub.

Also keep a washcloth handy. Don't expect your injured rooster to start swimming around in there and cleaning all those honey soaked feathers by himself.

And now it's time to float a rooster.

I knew from the summer dunkings I did for the chickens in response to our extreme heat that chickens float. They have feathers, and anything with feathers supposedly floats, but do they float head upright, or do they tip and float head upside down. One's good, one is not.

Hen Pen Jem bathes her birds with the water level up to the vent. The vent is the exit hatch for those who, like me, are new to chickening and are still learning the various pieces and parts of chicken anatomy. So that's how full I filled the tub.

Then I gently lifted Henry up with his wings held to his sides so he couldn't wiggle, and I set him down in the tub, unsure of how this was going to go.

It went marvelously well, except for that one sudden splash that threw a bunch of chicken saturated water into my mouth.

Henry's legs were the focus of the epsom salt bath. Really it was intended as a soak, not an actual bath. But as he half floated, half stood there, working his muscles to maintain his floaty balance, which was an unexpected bonus, it occurred to me that people really do bathe their chickens, and Henry was a sticky mess.

So I grabbed the washcloth and carefully sloshed water through his feathers. The undercarriage wounds were healing nicely, and I felt they'd benefit from the epsom salt, but when water splashed on some of his more serious wounds, I figured why not.

Note: If your fella has a deep puncture wound, cover it with a folded square of plastic wrap and secure it in place with honey. But keep in mind that honey is water soluble, and also remember that the plastic wrap isn't zip locked to his skin; water can seep underneath if you're not careful.

The more I soaked his feathers and flooded his lower region with water, the more I saw chicken debris float off his tattered body and into the tub. In just a quick minute the water was honey colored and full of food crumbs, soft tufts of snipped feathers, and other unidentifiables.

And, yes, I really did get a thorough splashing in the mouth of Henry soaked water. It was a delightful experience. I no longer sleep in a bed at night; I roost.

There isn't much more to it than that. The non-condensed version would involve more words, but why read the full version of Pride and Prejudice when you can read the Cliff Notes and be done with it!

Something I didn't expect, consider, think about, or otherwise ponder, was the increased buoyancy because of the salt. It seemed to really make a difference and help Henry engage his muscles without comprising his safety. Aside from one quick splash with his wings, he was totally blissed out in that tub and relaxed.

When Henry's hens came up to the glass door and saw his head sticking out of the tub, they pecked on the door and chirped and squawked for a bit, and then they found the bowl of crushed eggshells I'd left for them on the deck and flew-walk to it in a frenzy and forgot about the floating rooster.

The effects of the bath were pretty apparent to me. Henry was more relaxed than I've seen him since the coyote attack ten or so days ago. He was sparkly clean, and his wounds were flushed out and looking better than ever. I ended up saturating every last bit of him with the epsom salt water, except for the worst wound up top. He has two other wounds that are quite large and deep, but the honey has done wonders healing them, and they responded wonderfully well to the bath.

Today I made a fresh batch of salt water, but this time I put Henry in his sling and soaked both legs in a bowl. It was just deep enough to thoroughly cover the open sores on his lame leg. For the good leg I'm still using a comfrey poultice, which has significantly lessened the redness along the side of that leg and on his elbow.

The other day I was heartsick when I found those gangrene-looking wounds on Henry's lame leg. It seemed sudden, like one day there was redness and heat and mounded sores, and the next the sores had opened and changed to a greenish gray color.

I've done a fair amount of reading on gangrene in chickens, and as some of you have mentioned, it's possible he may have it in that leg. But I'm not seeing any changes for the worse, not yet anyway, and he's feistier today and showing me more of his roostery self.

So once again the danged rooster lives.

But I'm feeling quite attuned to the reality of how internal infections can advance. There's peace in confronting that and ...

Holy honeyed feathers, folks, I now bring to you a wonderful and sudden and unexpected interruption, like from the deck just outside Henry's recovery room!!

He hasn't crowed since the coyote attack, and no mad clucking. When one of his hens lays an egg or is unhappy about something and mad clucks, Henry does sympathy mad clucking. Well, guess what?

A hen just laid an egg and then mad clucked her way over to the deck, and from the depths of the recovery room I heard a sympathy mad cluck in show of support for her.

Henry mad clucked!

Wow, no chicken henchman tonight. That rooster Henry will live to see another day.

And on that chipper note I'm going to eat some chocolate and sip a chai, and so I bid you adieu.

Until next time, folks.

 

[microchick]

I am so sorry to hear that you have been bullied here on BYC. That is not what we are.

Many of the members here are without an avian vet to help with sick or injured chickens, myself included. We learn from the experiences of other and the knowledge of others and your chronicles of Henry add to the wealth of information that is available to the readers and members on Back Yard Chickens.

Do a search on Google for any health or behavior issue for chickens and the first hits that show up are for BYC! What does that tell you?

Please, keep the chronicle going. And give Henry a hug for all of us fans!

Merry Christmas!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

It occurred to me that I haven't posted an update in a while.

Henry and his flock are doing well. He's molting and looking like a Smart Car version of his former self, so once he regrows his tail feathers, I'd love to film him foraging and running around with his three sons before they move to their new home.

You've only seen a de-feathered Henry here in this discussion.

It's remarkable that he's showing no signs of the October 11 coyote attack from last year. He couldn't crow, couldn't walk, wasn't eating. The boy has made a remarkable recovery.

He has also survived a wildfire and the heartbreak of having been left behind. It's a story I'll write about someday. You think you've got an evacuation all perfectly planned until a nightmare unfolds right in front of you and suddenly that perfect plan needs a last minute adjustment, but there isn't any time.

Thankfully, some cowboys and a volunteer firefighter rescued Henry and his flock and delivered them to a beautiful horse farm in a nearby town, where they enjoyed the daily taunting of a Japanese Bantam rooster and other farm critters.

And then, just recently and ongoing, the bears happened, most likely wildfire refugees. Our chickens are still here, but our neighbors' were killed.

As for Manuka honey, the primary healing medicine in Henry's recovery, I've since used it on multiple wounds (me, cats, dogs, husband), all with remarkable results. It's my understanding that pure raw honey of any kind is a powerful healer, not just the honey obtained from bees that frequent Manuka bushes.

One year and counting and the dang bird lives. I don't know if I'll be able to say that tomorrow or a year from now, but then again I can't really even say that about myself.

Cheers and g'night.

 

[red horse ranch]

You are doing a good job with him. I agree with what you have done. I've read that honey is good for wounds. You were right to remove the feathers to make it easier to dress the wounds. They will regrow, if not immediately, then when he molts the next time.

The shivering you saw was probably from shock. It will be important to keep him warm until he gets his strength back. He will need vitamins and extra protein until he heals.

I've had several chickens attacked by dogs and it is amazing how fast they can heal. Even with horrible wounds. Just keep doing what you are doing and he will be back protecting his flock before long!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Thank you for the feedback. So appreciated!

I discovered tonight, just after applying the honey, that he can't at all use his right leg. The toes are curled and the leg he's only able to lean back on in a kneeling position. He can stand on his left leg. I'm not encouraging him to move and prefer to keep him still. But this was his instinct, and I'm wondering if a little bit of non-motion standing is good for his leg circulation. We noticed his legs were somewhat darker in color. Sitting all day could be the culprit, but I'm not sure.

This is kind of backwards, but after I applied more honey, I decided to use the tweezers to remove what I can from the numerous wounds. I also trimmed back more feathers.

The big worry is his lung. I have nothing to reference for some guidance on what this means and what to expect. I noticed some very slight bubbling each time he took a breath. Again, no labored, beak open breathing. But I do see a small amount of fluid. I didn't feed him water. I let him make the decision to drink, and he did. Could he have somehow inhaled water into his lung? Tonight I also noticed a slight pink/red tinge to the fluid. I dabbed it with a cotton swab and there's definitely a pink tinge of what seems to be fresh blood.

The wounds are already showing signs of healing. The lung puncture is lower on his body and under a wing, so fluids from above could have seeped into the opening. But surprisingly the honey only moderately drips. It seems to sink in and stay pretty local to where ever it's applied. So he may have internal bleeding, and that's a whole other animal in terms of treatment. Any thoughts on this?

I applied honey on the lung puncture again. I figured it would benefit more than harm him, but I could be wrong. The thing is, he never shows any stress or changes when I apply it, so hopefully it's okay.

The leg is probably lame due to deep tissue wounds. I don't see any cuts or feel any obvious breaks. The lung, however, that's got me worried.

Again, thanks for the great suggestions. I'll be sure to adjust his diet with more protein. He's a Welsummer rooster. With his grotesque wounds and drastically cut feathers, he's looking half his usual size. I sure hope this darling boy makes a full recovery.