UPDATE, Page 2... 3/10 Roo was attacked by animal and doing great!!

[hawtchick]

We left the house for one hour....one hour, and the birds were out roaming, and it stinks to try to wrangle them in during the day.
When we came home, I saw the all too familiar pile and scattering of feathers, so we saw the girls all panicked and hiding, and found to roo dragged into the woods and left for dead. We think we may have interrupted the attack since he was really only missing feathers.
It's hard to know what all of his injuries are at this point.
this is what I have done so far:

He is in the house in the chicken icu, warm and toasty, in the dark.
He had water with electrolytes in it, and I have offered scrambled egg which he refused. I have been able to get a little of the water with electrolytes by a dropper into him, but he is very tired, and keeps falling asleep.
I also mashed up and aspirin and disolved it in water and got a minimal amount into him.
I have some terramycin on hand and wasnt sure if I could add it to the electrolytes and water.
Am I missing anything else??
I feel like tomorrow will be the true test as to what may happen with him.
I can't believe he is alive.
He is a jerk of a roo to hubby and I but loves our daughter and his girlfriends....so he did what he was supposed to do..protecting his girls.

Thanks in advance!!
Jess

 

[ranchhand]

About the best you can do now is let him rest and hope he makes it through. You have done all the right things, he is probably in shock. Quiet, almost dark or dark and calm are the best things now. I hope he makes it! He's a good roo.

 

[Southernbelle]

When one of mine was seriously injured -

1. I washed the wound with sterile saline (boil 1 qt water, add 1/4 tsp table salt, cool)
2. covered with neosporin
3. had food and water within reach, but she didn't show interest for about 36 hours after injury
4. kept isolated from her peers

I chose not to medicate at all - I don't really believe in giving antibiotics unless they're actually proven to be neccessary. Same for pain meds - chickens don't feel pain the same way we do and when I worked for the vet - they were very careful about prescribing pain meds to any animal b/c they make them feel better than they actually are and will be more active than they should, possibly injuring themselves further.

My girl healed beautifully with no infection - she developed a very thick scab that I just left alone until it fell off on its own. Chickens have a remarkable ability to heal - just trust in that.

 

[Renee]

It sounds like you have it covered. Do you have any topical antibiotic (with no pain relievers or -caine products) to dress the wounds?

I don't think you need to start antibiotics. Terramycin may not work on puncture wounds anyway. Maybe someone else will know.

 

[hawtchick]

I am guessing the amount of aspirin I gave him was not even worth mentioning, but I just wanted everyone to know what was done. He doesn't have any visible wounds to clean, so if he is injured beyond what we can see it's internal and I can't fix that.
He is a sleepy boy, and we are leaving him in the kennel in the dark near the woodstove. I want him to rest for the night. We will try more tomorrow.
Thanks!!

 

[Renee]

Keep us updated, we'll be thinking of your Roo.

 

[jjthink]

If you have or can get Rescue Remedy, put a drop or two in his water for stress. Initially you may have to eyedropper a bit of the RR water into him so he at least gets a tad in him if he is not yet drinking.
Right now shock is his major enemy so keeping him calm and getting some electrolytes in him are the most important (realizing as I write this that the latter may confound the former!).
That sleepy thing - this happened to a hen of mine who was attacked by a neighbor's dog in December - I thought I was going to lose her from shock if she zoned out on me so I kept her company and talked and talked to her till she perked up. It all depends on the bird - I knew she was comforted by that company and the chatting - you know best what would comfort your roo. For my roo, it's having his best buddy hen with him. Gave him a will to live when he was injured once such that I though he was going to give up. He did respond to his buddy Betty and did recover (but he's the type that worries so much when he is not within sight of his lady friend). Your guy may prefer solitary rest, for starters anyway.
Poor fellow - I hope very much that he'll be alright.
JJ

 

[hawtchick]

Well the roo made it through the night, and was standing when I checked on him this AM.
After I got back this morning, he was crowing and lookin better...drinking, walking, so I decided to bring him out to the pen near his girls. He is drinking great and ate a scrambled egg. he is missing his girls, so I think I may let the girls join him in a bit if he still seems good.

I guess the shock from last night was really what made me think we would lose him. Shock is a crazy thing.
Thanks everyone.

jess

 

[ranchhand]

Glad to hear the good news!

 

[hawtchick]

I may have spoken too soon. I looked out at him and he way laying in the run. He's still weak and too tired to be out there so I put him back into the kennel and he immediately went to sleep.
He also didn't eat as much of the egg as I thought, but he is drinking...
I will update later tonight.