Scalped Cockeral

[No More Empty Nest]

So glad to hear he's doing well! That shot should give him a boost against infection. It's so sweet he wants to be cuddled.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

I have had worse scalped chickens make it. There was gamefowl rooster I found running down the road in the rain years ago. He was exhausted, scalped, his right eye was swollen shut and the lid bulging with infection. I caught him and took him home to heal him up. Here's what I did for the scalp healing.

There are two species of medicinal plant, both often referred to as Plantain. They possess excellent antimicrobial and vulnerary properties (a compound called Allantoin in them causes increased cell growth and division, resulting in faster healing of wounds). Either of the species' leaves can be ground into a paste and placed on the wound. By itself it will not stick for long, so in the case of needing to use it on the head of the rooster I cut up some soft, stretchy underwear (like many women's underwears are) and fashioned a little "cap" I could tie under his chin to keep it in place. (I used a different protocol for the eye which is irrelevant to this discussion). You could use other materials, like stretchy leggings or panty hose.

These plants are super common around human settlement, and unless you live in the desert there's probably some growing within 500 feet of you.

Plantago major ("Broadleaf Plantain")
View attachment 1600070

Plantago lanceolata ("Ribwort"):
View attachment 1600071

The scalp skin grew back and did not become infected. It took it a little while after his skin had grown back in before the feathers repopulated, but amazingly they usually will.

I don't have any photos of the original wound unfortunately but here is a photo of him post-Plantain treatment before his feathers grew back in. The skin is completely regrown here:
View attachment 1600069

And after feathers have regrown:
View attachment 1600072

If you are unable to get ahold of or don't care to use antibiotics, this is an excellent and free option. I use it on myself all the time, other humans, chickens, ducks, dogs, geese. It's wonderful stuff.

Hopefully the hens pecking him did not cause brain trauma. If his pupils are dilated and/or you suspect brain swelling, a compound in Dandelion leaf (I forget the name at the moment) crosses the blood-brain barrier and works against brain inflammation (unlike the vast majority of anti-inflammatories), though nothing I know can undo already caused brain damage; this is simply a preventative so that swelling does not cause more. This is fed to the chicken. I've used this to treat Wry Neck successfully.

I wish you and your rooster good luck in the healing process.

Thank you so much. I'm sure I can find some of the plantain somewhere on our eleven acres.
I'll certainly try the dandelion.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

He wants to go be with his flock so desperately, every time he hears he Chooks he gets excited, then settles down for a nap on the old human...lol

 

[Momma_Bear]

I had a similar thing happen with my rooster
He was pecked in the eye while being preened and we didn’t think he would make it, he went blind in that eye for the rest of his life but he had a happy life. He died of a fox attack late last year but you know what they say ‘ Quality of life beats Quantity’. I am glad your hen made it through. What is her name?

Oh this was years ago. She’s not around anymore. I as well have a half blind chicken

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Conner is standing, stretching and trilling this morning.
Doc gave him a shot of antibiotics, said nothing more we could've done for Conner.
Keep using Vetromyacin spray and alternate with Neosporin several times a day.
Eye appears to be gone, not sure if he can hear out of that ear yet.
His wings are scraped up a bit, but nothing broken.
Deeper muscle wound than I thought, but Doc says it will heal itself.
Thanks for all the encouraging stories.

Glad to hear your vet visit went well.
I hope that Conner recovers soon.

 

[batta]

I have been amazed several times by the ability of chickens to recover from what looked to be major injuries. We had a hen similarly scalped by an aggressive rooster (who was re-homed immediately after the assault). My initial thought was that the injury was not survivable, but with a few days of isolation she was up and active, and lived out a long, full chicken life.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Oh this was years ago. She’s not around anymore. I as well have a half blind chicken

We have a Pullet that is blind in one eye from birth who does just fine.
Can barely tell her from others now.
The rest of the flocks (we have 3 now) let her interact and run with theirs and keep an eye on her.
Everyone said they'd kill her, and with exception of one of two times of having her comb pecked almost all the way off when she was little, they really haven't bothered her.
Conner is a bold little roo who head butts and chest pumps other males.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Update on Conner. He's eating like a Rooster and chirping none stop in response to being talked to and held. He loves cuddles.
He's trying to stand and walk around a bit in the little brooder I set up for him.
Still sleeping a lot, which is to be expected, but he's a happy little guy.

 

[Abriana]

poor guy. I read a thread similar to this one. The wound healed right up. You can rinse it with saline solution and then put some neosporin without painkiller on it. The main thing is to keep it nice and clean!

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Conner is singing today. Chirping, trilling long songs and snuggling every chance her gets.