Rooster visciously attacked by older brother

[NewfieBantam]

I've been raising my chickens now for just over a year and I've naturally hatched out 3 broods. I've now got the mom, a rooster from the second hatch, 8 young hens and 2 younger roosters. Last week I heard a ruckus and went to investigate and found my little rooster woody in an egg box. When I took him out I was horrified to see that the big rooster had ripped the skin entirely off the back of his neck, (avlusion injury), and his muscle and a tiny bit of skull was exposed. There was only a tiny amount of bleeding somehow - and I brought him inside right away, cleaned it, trimmed the surrounding hackle feathers and put polysporin on it. By this time, he has a big black scab on it, and seems to be alright with no limit to his mobility or energy, but I guess the thing I'm most worried about is - how can that type of injury truly heal? There was literally no skin or fat left, just uninjured muscle and bone. When the scab eventually falls off, what will be there to protect his delicate muscle? I am so worried that he'll never fully heal, and while I love my birds, I do not want him to suffer.. He'll certainly be bald forever anyway and maybe the ladies will reject him, and who would take him.. poor woody, I dont know what to do with him. For now I have the 3 roosters separated, but I cant keep them like that forever.. Theye each got a couple of hens for company but I guess I'll just have to choose which roo to keep and get rid of the other 2 somehow. I even put them online for free and no one wants them. As a last resort, what is the most humane way to put them down...? (

 

[mariaschickens]

I'm so sorry you are having trouble with your roos. I've had similar problems myself, and it's no fun. I recently had to kill a roo because he was injuring my hens, so i got to looking around online and came across something on you tube.... It's not for the weak hearted.(i cried)....but its very humane. Go to you tube and type in "respectful chicken harvest" there are two parts, the first part shows you how to kill the bird and the second part shows you how to clean the bird. Acually here is the link to it..... http://www.permies.com. Probably should have given you that first...lol. Hope this helps.

 

[mariaschickens]

I've been raising my chickens now for just over a year and I've naturally hatched out 3 broods. I've now got the mom, a rooster from the second hatch, 8 young hens and 2 younger roosters. Last week I heard a ruckus and went to investigate and found my little rooster woody in an egg box. When I took him out I was horrified to see that the big rooster had ripped the skin entirely off the back of his neck, (avlusion injury), and his muscle and a tiny bit of skull was exposed. There was only a tiny amount of bleeding somehow - and I brought him inside right away, cleaned it, trimmed the surrounding hackle feathers and put polysporin on it. By this time, he has a big black scab on it, and seems to be alright with no limit to his mobility or energy, but I guess the thing I'm most worried about is - how can that type of injury truly heal? There was literally no skin or fat left, just uninjured muscle and bone. When the scab eventually falls off, what will be there to protect his delicate muscle? I am so worried that he'll never fully heal, and while I love my birds, I do not want him to suffer.. He'll certainly be bald forever anyway and maybe the ladies will reject him, and who would take him.. poor woody, I dont know what to do with him. For now I have the 3 roosters separated, but I cant keep them like that forever.. Theye each got a couple of hens for company but I guess I'll just have to choose which roo to keep and get rid of the other 2 somehow. I even put them online for free and no one wants them. As a last resort, what is the most humane way to put them down...?

(

I'm so sorry you are having trouble with your roos. I've had similar problems myself, and it's no fun. I recently had to kill a roo because he was injuring my hens, so i got to looking around online and came across something on you tube.... It's not for the weak hearted.(i cried)....but its very humane. Go to you tube and type in "respectful chicken harvest" there are two parts, the first part shows you how to kill the bird and the second part shows you how to clean the bird. Acually here is the link to it..... http://www.permies.com. Probably should have given you that first...lol. Hope this helps.

 

[donrae]

Birds heal amazingly well. I'm a nurse with an interest in wound care and have seen some of the nastiest wounds (on humans) heal with minimal scarring. If it's scabbed over, just leave it or protect the scab if necessary. That's nature's bandage! Underneath it all sorts of granulation tissue is growing and skin will eventually grow also. He may not regrow feathers, that's true.

As far as what to do with him, that's something everyone who hatches birds needs to have a plan for. There are lots of threads here, look on the meat bird section, for humanely dispatching a chicken.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

You will be amazed at how the wound edges will draw in and close up. The skin and scar tissue will pull it together. Don't do anything further to the wound, leave the scab intact.