Rooster Survived the coyote attack but now can't lift its head

[OhioChickToo]

we have a large 1yr old Buff Orp--our flock was attacked yesterday by coyotes--our Buff roo ran but we caught him an hour later--he was quiet but not bleeding. Once we got him back in the coop (a barn dedicated only to our small flock of 12) he's been just standing in the corner with his head hanging down--not hungry, not social. He was totally traumatized. No evidence of broken bones. Is there anything we can do to help him? We have no vets who treat poultry anywhere nearby. We would be grateful for any advice at all!

 

[DebbieF]

He may be in shock. I've read in other posts about giving pedialite and give him some yogurt. Give him some of his favorite treats.

 

[birds4me]

I agree with the pedialite. If you don't have any, try sugar water (1/4 cup sugar to 1 gal. water). You can give it to him with an eye dropper or syringe. I'd also give him a heat lamp as an option if it is cool there. Nothing to warm, just something so that his body can recoop without having to warm itself. Poor roo!! Good luck and hope he starts feeling better SOON!

 

[Donna R]

You may also want to just hold and love him. Tell him that everything will be ok. It will take a few weeks for him to get over the trauma. I had a small hen that saw several of her coopmates get pulled out of the coop in pieces and she refused to go into the coop on her own. I just tried to give her some extra love and encouragement and she finally got over it, but it took several weeks. I would carry her around with me while I did the other coops. Good luck.

 

[OhioChickToo]

you wonderful people! thank you so much for your encouragement-- I was worried about trying to handle him too much since he normally does not like to be patted or touched (he is the original Mr. Tough Guy.) I appreciate these comments and suggestions so very much. J

 

[JuicyFatHead]

Poor lil tough guy! Please keep us updated. I'm so glad to know he wasn't ripped apart. I've been on coyote watch here the last few days too. I love my roo to pieces. I truly hope he pulls through. I agree it sounds like shock.

Oh my gosh, hearing about that hen that didn't want to go into her coop tears me up. My friend had a dog get in (to what we thought was a very hardy compound) and kill one of her goats and the sister of the goat that died, laid where the deceased goat was found for weeks and went all antisocial with the other goats. With some babying she eventually started to get normal again and my friend got her another goat 'sister.'

Last year when two of my dogs died, one of my other 3 dogs found her way to the attic (my hubs man cave- permanent stairs go up to it) and stayed there all night. When we buried the first one, one of my other dogs was howling from inside the house and we heard him from across the field. And, the third dog stayed under the kitchen table until morning. All three of them slept for days and barely ate. Moped for weeks afterward. It was the creepiest thing. I'd never seen them act like that.

It's really something to see animals react in a way similar to humans when they lose a family member isn't it? God is in all of us.

 

[OhioChickToo]

Our Buff Orp Roo is still hanging on- but we still can't tell what happened. He continues to hang his head unless we are patting him, but patting him seems to distress him. Thank you again for your comments. We will keep you posted.

 

[cgtara3]

I wonder if his neck is injured by any chance? It may not have been entirely broken, but they may have tried to strangle him--as that is their method of killing. He could have bone chips from the attack. Is he still eating and drinking? That poor boy. I know little about chicken trauma. They get very traumatized when they are attacked. More than people realize. Our lone survivor of three attacks--one by something we don't know what--coyote or something like it, another by a raccoon who got into their house, and the last on the yard with all but her surviving. The raccoon attack, she would try to fly off when it was time to roost. The last attack, she hid in the egg laying box until we coaxed her out. We found one of the birds a week later in the dead of the cold half-dead. She tried to get away from me with a limp. We took her to the vet, and he examined her. He found she had a broken pelvis and deep wounds that I wouldn't have seen. We had her put to sleep. So, it is either a physical cause or he is severely traumatized. Did you check his body for any bites that you may not see outright? Does he even walk anymore, or just sit in one spot? Coyotes have nasty germs of their own as well. He might also be fighting off an infection.

 

[schling]

We took our chicken to the vet after it was attacked by another chicken. She was traumatized and in very bad shape. She was flailing on her back and her neck was really twisted and in spasms. The vet gave her a shot of anti-inflammatory and then a vitamin B shot and we gave her hydrocortisone orally. She made a full recovery to our amazement. I also rubbed hydrocortsone on her neck and massaged it. My girls were really upset, so I'm glad we were able to get her better. Hope this helps.

 

[terrilhb]

I hope and pray he will be ok. Poor guy. I had an attack in Oct by a dog. Killed 12 of my hens. The remaining were petrified. But after a couple of weeks and lots of extra love and treats they started doing better. Good luck hope he pulls through.