Rooster rescued from a coyote, using Manuka honey

[ChuSayBok]

First of all; that's an amazing story; thanks for sharing.

Second, without knowing exactly what the injuries are; I work with human patients in acute pt, so one of the most important things about what we do (especially in icu situations) is getting people up and breathing again so they don't develop pneumonia (not breathing per se, but breathing deeply enough to expel secretions and properly oxygenate the blood.) I've no experience with chickens with the condition you describe, but for what experience I have, if there are secretions in the lung; it's important to expel those so air can enter and get oxygen to the bird's tissue (the other side of that is that you don't want him to move in a way that could possibly re-injure or further injure him, especially in relation to his internal organs.

I would say if he can walk, let him; even if just with supervision. If he can't walk, without a vet who can properly diagnose the injuries and do something invasive, he probably won't make it. If he can, I would say there's a good chance he might. He obviously will need protection, and doesn't need to be startled or put into a position where he has to move too quickly. I noticed on the vid Wyorp Rock posted that stretching the wings up in flight position facilitated air movement into the lungs, so that's a consideration. Again, with respect to how much damage has been done.

Last, what I do have exp with is birds recovering from all sorts of injuries and sickness. What I've learned is:
-they need to be safe (especially from chickens that want to pick on them, and chickens are prone to pick at wounds, so you don't want those visible if they are together.)
-they need to be social; which is the catch. My solution for this when I've had to keep a bird separate (especially a roo) is to keep him where he can see the other birds and they can talk to each other without any picking on the injured party. That keeps him involved and gives him a reason to keep living.

You and your rooster are both heroes. I'm pulling for you. Keep us posted.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Thanks for the video! I do need to figure out if I should have flushed the wounds before applying the honey. Since I didn't know, I chose to remove all debris and apply the honey directly. But last night I read in the forums that diluted Betadine or a homemade saline solution is a good idea. I'd like to have a good handle on this so I'll be able to jump to action without delay the next time something happens.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

So, in the spirit of creating a detailed record of this experience, I'm back for more updates.

I pretty much expected to wake up to an unconscious, expired or obviously suffering rooster. But instead what I found was an alert bird who was making his usual soft rooster sounds I often hear from him. I know a purring cat doesn't always mean a happy, mending cat, so I'm sure it's the same with chickens. But this was a return of something normal for him, and compared to yesterday's complete silence, I was relieved.

Do roosters snore? Probably not. I'm certain the sound he was making last night had to do with his lung puncture. It was different than the earlier sounds, so I concluded he was showing symptoms of decline.

This morning, though, hardly anything. Just a few whispy sounds involving his lung.

And the big, amazing, super stellar miracle: the wounds had considerably healed from yesterday. I mean VERY obvious healing. Cats and chickens are different species, but wounds tend to follow similar healing processes. I've never used Manuka honey on my cats. The protocol I would follow never resulted in this amount of healing. It would take a week if not longer. What I saw this morning was significantly improved.

He immediately drank water when I gave it to him, and he gobbled up the egg I scrambled in coconut oil at a medium temperature. I'll be sure to follow your advice and increase his protein during this process.

Also interesting was the blacked/blue segments on his comb. He has a very deep red wattle and comb, and they're both always warm. I think the wattle is usually warmer than the comb, but I can't remember. I just tried to sample a hen's comb and she took off running, so you'll have to let me know about this. Anyway, each of the points, except for maybe half of two, were discolored, almost as if they were atrophying. I think the blood supply was simply needed elsewhere, and that's why they turned blue.

So, I decided to massage them and put pressure on each one, then release. Then I repeated this a few times. I left for maybe ten minutes and came back to see if he had gone to the bathroom yet, and WOW! The entire comb was his usual gorgeous deep red, and it's staying that way. I'm not sure if his comb should be left alone. This clearly serves a purpose, right? But it was so nice seeing all of that black/blue gone.

Once he pooped, I returned him to his crate. I wanted to monitor his droppings. Yesterday was very liquidy. The color is the same today, but it's firmer. It's a bright yellowish green with white. The green is from the pumpkin seeds. No blood, which is a relief.

As for keeping him warm, the portable heater is loud. I heated his room, but it doesn't last long once I turn the heater off. So I got my Brinsea chick warmer and set it on top of the dog crate. The lid on top is wire. But I don't think it helped much since it wasn't right on top of him.

When I had him out for a few hours this morning, I turned the warmer on its side and put it a few inches from his body. With the glistening, freshly applied honey and the warmer, he kind of looked like a rotisserie chicken.

Anyway, I'm clueless about the lung puncture. Not at all sure how it can possibly heal. But I'm not seeing any changes in his demeanor, vitality or breathing, so at least he's stable.

Thanks for reading this and for all the feedback and encouragement.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

ChuSayBok, thank you!

My instinct yesterday was to let him stand, since he so clearly wanted to. It's a partial standing because of his right leg. So he rests on the elbow and stands with the other leg. It's helped with the coloring in his legs. They're not so dark anymore.

And it definitely resonated with me when you said movement can encourage the expulsion of the lung fluids. I know nothing about your line of work, but it makes sense, so I'll be sure to allow him to sit on a blanket outside of the carrier. I may even let him stay out of it from now on so he can choose to move as often as he feels the need.

He loved seeing the hens this morning. He really reacted to them. I may do visitations with him in the carrier. This cannabalism thing almost made me decide not to get chickens. But I'm over it now, thank goodness. No clue how to spell that word, and spell checker hates me.

 

[Tlmcq]

Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job at naturally trying to help your boy. Not sure of your location and availability of plantain or dandelion greens both speed healing and plantain makes great poultice for imflamation and pain for wounds and bruises. Oregano is natural antibiotic and builds the immune system. Lung punctures can heal but not always do. The pinkish drainage is probably weeping from lung...this can be a good thing as your biggest worry is fluid build up causing pneumonia or other lung infection. Best of luck and prayers for ya guys.

 

[belindaschicks]

I'm not a huge fan of treating with honey especially when wounds are deep and come from another animal. I find it's best to treat by flushing with sterile solution and chlorihexadrine. Then treat with antibiotic cream and oral/ injectable. Make sure to get fluids and food in either orally if chicken is eating normal or by gavage/tube feeding. Keep warm and quiet.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Yes, injectable antibiotic would be really good for that puncture wound. Roosters are very robust, they don't have the added stress of laying eggs. He has a chance of surviving this, because you cared enough to help him. Keep him in the clean and warm environment. You are doing the best you can and your positive energy is also helpful for the little guy. God Bless you and the little guy!

 

[venymae]

for anyone interested in reading about honey for antibacterial uses on wounds...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I forgot about plantain. I've been meaning to learn about it. It grows wild in so many places. Someone else also mentioned that pink tinged fluid may not be a problem.

I'm noticing some extra sounds when he drinks water or eats. Not choking or coughing, but something quiet and just there.

The lung thing has me very worried. But so far the honey is just amazing. I've read that wildcrafted honey is a great healer. It's Manuka honey in particular that people use for deep wound care.

 

[Tlmcq]

I forgot about plantain. I've been meaning to learn about it. It grows wild in so many places. Someone else also mentioned that pink tinged fluid may not be a problem.

I'm noticing some extra sounds when he drinks water or eats. Not choking or coughing, but something quiet and just there.

The lung thing has me very worried. But so far the honey is just amazing. I've read that wildcrafted honey is a great healer. It's Manuka honey in particular that people use for deep wound care.

Yes plantain is a "weed" that grows all thru yards where I'm at in Ohio. Look it up online it is very easy to identify. It's a native edible with many uses and health benefits to humans and chickens. I've used it several times for my rabbits, chickens, and ducks.