Texas

[Matejka]

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[ValerieLovesChickens]

Quick question to my fellow Texans, are 9 pullets age 7 & 8 months, too many for an 8 month old roo? They all grew up together, and today they attacked him. We had to pull him, clean him up (so much blood!) His face looks like he went 10 rounds in a boxing match. His neck is swollen and deep pink where they broke and ripped feathers out. Used peroxide, neosporin. He is in our sick bay cage, here with us next to my chair asleep now. We will keep him outside seperate in tractor during the day, here inside at night safe & sound. Is this normal behavior??

 

[007Sean]

Quick question to my fellow Texans, are 9 pullets age 7 & 8 months, too many for an 8 month old roo? They all grew up together, and today they attacked him. We had to pull him, clean him up (so much blood!) His face looks like he went 10 rounds in a boxing match. His neck is swollen and deep pink where they broke and ripped feathers out. Used peroxide, neosporin. He is in our sick bay cage, here with us next to my chair asleep now. We will keep him outside seperate in tractor during the day, here inside at night safe & sound. Is this normal behavior??

Don't use peroxide, it kills tissue, use Hibiclense or a saline solution if the wounds are dirty.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Don't use peroxide, it kills tissue, use Hibiclense or a saline solution if the wounds are dirty.

Thank you, I didn't know about the peroxide. I have hibiclense for my horses thankfully, so will use that for any next times. Yes, they had him on the ground in the dirt, didn't have a choice, he was a mess. They are scabbing up pretty well now, just a few dots of blood here and there. I dabbed more neosporin on those areas to prevent infection. Heading to bed, hoping he makes it through the night. I did get him to eat some wet mash, with Rooster Booster water in it, so I'm very optimistic.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Thank you, I didn't know about the peroxide. I have hibiclense for my horses thankfully, so will use that for any next times. Yes, they had him on the ground in the dirt, didn't have a choice, he was a mess. They are scabbing up pretty well now, just a few dots of blood here and there. I dabbed more neosporin on those areas to prevent infection. Heading to bed, hoping he makes it through the night. I did get him to eat some wet mash, with Rooster Booster water in it, so I'm very optimistic.

I use epsom salt baths for chicken debridement of wounds, then blue kote anything that looks too exposed once dry to prevent other chicken from picking the wounds. You just have to ensure that body cavities aren't thoroughly punctured through using my immersion method. It is cheap and effective stuff and available for next to nothing at any feed store(Blue-kote), walmart and HEB for the epsom salts(introduced internally through a perforating wound bed MgSO4 can become a highly toxic compound in the bloodstream, topical use only). To each their own methodology. @007Sean has about 50 years of poultry keeping experience on me though. Cheeky adolescent probably messed with the lead hen.

Regarding your hen:cockerel ratio that seems perfectly reasonable to me.

I run about 5:1 myself. Soon I will be running a 25:7-8 free range group. We have few issues but the flock free range a fenced in acre and nobody has a chance to get trapped. We also have segregation facilities if needed. We are considering moving the Silkie hens back out of free range general pop and confining them to a 45x100' run so they stop reproducing or becoming lawn mowing casualties going broody. Our current plan is still to remove the silkie roosters to replace with the Sumatra cockerel and segregate them to their own area away from the flock for the silkies to have their own mosh pit of a run(50x75') once those sumatra start behaving roosterly. In spring we can revisit our plan when we see how many game fowl died trying to save the flock from our hawk migrations, honestly, I doubt I'll lose a single one. Regarding the roosts with the sumatra we have about 50 different trees for them to choose from to roost at night if there is drama. 5/7 cockerels are currently tree/coop roof roosting as it is the old ladies kicked em out of their coop earlier this month.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Still awake thankfully DW will let the chicken out without a need for me in the AM. @electrycmonk appears to have had an early morning wakeup. Enjoy the cool weather it will be there soon. Not so much for me. It looks like I get only 12 hours of cooler.

 

[electrycmonk]

Still awake thankfully DW will let the chicken out without a need for me in the AM. @electrycmonk appears to have had an early morning wakeup. Enjoy the cool weather it will be there soon. Not so much for me. It looks like I get only 12 hours of cooler.
View attachment 2383905

Yes, 'tis true. I also fell asleep fully aware of the frontal rolling thru about 1:30AM. Winds went from 0-3 mph to 15-20+mph in like 4-5 minutes tops.... The heavy stuff hit about 90 minutes ago...That did "wake me".

 

[007Sean]

Don't use peroxide, it kills tissue, use Hibiclense or a saline solution if the wounds are dirty.

Actually, most folks on here would be appalled by what I do with most of my badly injured birds....I let them heal themselves without doctoring.
Birds have a remarkable ability to heal themselves, if the wounds are not 'life threatening'.
I've had birds totally scalped by raccoons. I didn't do anything for them, they healed up just fine. Those that were seriously injured (wings ripped off) I put them out of their misery. If they have a wound that just keeps bleeding, I'll put wound powder on them but that's about all I do, anymore.

Alot of folks look at the bird or animal and think OMG!!! what should I do to help...the bird is probably in shock and administering wound care only multiples the shock factor.
I tried sewing up wounds before too! It isn't something that should be done without anesthesia! but I was a kid back then and could not afford a vet....the bird died of shock....but as @AllenK RGV , said, "to each his own". oh, your right Allen, I do have 50+ years of raising all kinds of poultry and other birds but I'm by 'no means' an expert!

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Actually, most folks on here would be appalled by what I do with most of my badly injured birds....I let them heal themselves without doctoring.
Birds have a remarkable ability to heal themselves, if the wounds are not 'life threatening'.
I've had birds totally scalped by raccoons. I didn't do anything for them, they healed up just fine. Those that were seriously injured (wings ripped off) I put them out of their misery. If they have a wound that just keeps bleeding, I'll put wound powder on them but that's about all I do, anymore.

Alot of folks look at the bird or animal and think OMG!!! what should I do to help...the bird is probably in shock and administering wound care only multiples the shock factor.
I tried sewing up wounds before too! It isn't something that should be done without anesthesia! but I was a kid back then and could not afford a vet....the bird died of shock....but as @AllenK RGV , said, "to each his own". oh, your right Allen, I do have 50+ years of raising all kinds of poultry and other birds but I'm by 'no means' an expert!

Luckily this Roo is used to being picked up and handled, has never minded it either. That's why I call him my best Roo. Other reasons too, I just had to try and save that eye. I'm so glad that I did. He is doing great this morning, eating, drinking, crowing, swollen just a bit, tons of black crusty scabs. Ready to go enjoy the day in the tractor next to his family for some down time and healing now. Pouring rain finally stopped here, I didn't figure either of us wanted to get drenched. LoL I see what you mean about not intervening, I can't believe the overnight change in his wounds. Chickens heal fast, wow! Thanks so much for all the advice everyone!

 

[electrycmonk]

And behind curtain number 28, or is it 29?
https://apps.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_95.gif

This makes me think of a squid or octopus....