Genesis Farms
In the Brooder
- Jul 14, 2023
- 12
- 44
- 49
Where to start with this? 
Sorry in advance for the long post but I feel context is needed.
Basically my wife and I are the designated chicken caretakers of the household, so while we have our own flock, we also take care of her father’s (who has next to no experience with chickens and doesn’t care enough to help).
A couple weeks ago he insisted that we put his then-7-week-old clutch into the big coop/run with the 1 year olds for reasons that are too long to explain here. My wife and I strongly advised against it but ultimately they are his and we didn’t really have a choice. The young clutch included several hens and 6 cockerels. We waited until dark to put them all in and we just hoped for the best.
The next day while doing our rounds I saw what used to be the young alpha cockerel hiding motionless under a ramp. I quickly brought him inside and realized how injured he was. The back of his neck was skinned, his right wing was drooping and he wouldn’t put any weight on his right leg. We concluded that the adult roosters most likely attacked/fought the little guy for dominance/territory. We removed the remaining young cockerels out and put them in their own enclosure to avoid further incident.
The injured roo has been isolated in his own brooder since and while we weren’t sure he would survive that first night, he made it through and has a healthy appetite/water intake/digestive system going. He’s turned into a sweetheart and trills when I hold him. Which is why it breaks my heart to not know how to help him.
I know you’re supposed to act fast when it comes to injuries, but we are still only 1 year into chicken-keeping and lack the experience to assess correctly what is wrong and how to help. My biggest concern is his hock, which he tries his hardest not to put weight on. He hops around with his other foot to compensate but I know his walk will get worse as he ages (we had a rooster from another clutch who suddenly developed bow legs and became almost immobile).
At first we put a splint on it for a few days because I saw that’s the most common leg injury. Then I realized later it was more his joint. So I thought it was his tendon, but after feeling around and stretching his leg over the past few days I don’t think it’s slipped out of place. His hock is very swollen and I’m wondering if it’s fractured. In the middle of all this we were out of town for a few days, and then I immediately became ill for the rest of the week upon returning, so I’m aware that we did not identify the problem fast enough to help relieve him of some pain. I tried putting him in a sling as a last effort but he immediately flapped his way out. I would restrain his wings to keep him from doing so but with his right wing also injured (and not treated promptly because the leg took priority) I wouldn’t know how to proceed.
Here’s a picture of his joint along with how he’s been sitting. I’m not so concerned with the wing for now, I mostly just want to know if there’s anything at all I can do for him to help make him more comfortable, or if I’m just prolonging his pain.
A vet is not possible in this situation. 
I do have it wrapped a tiny bit right now because when first picked up he curls his uninjured leg’s toes around the injured one and scratches up his scales to the point of bleeding.
Any advice is appreciated! Thanks for reading this very long post.
Sorry in advance for the long post but I feel context is needed.
Basically my wife and I are the designated chicken caretakers of the household, so while we have our own flock, we also take care of her father’s (who has next to no experience with chickens and doesn’t care enough to help).
A couple weeks ago he insisted that we put his then-7-week-old clutch into the big coop/run with the 1 year olds for reasons that are too long to explain here. My wife and I strongly advised against it but ultimately they are his and we didn’t really have a choice. The young clutch included several hens and 6 cockerels. We waited until dark to put them all in and we just hoped for the best.
The next day while doing our rounds I saw what used to be the young alpha cockerel hiding motionless under a ramp. I quickly brought him inside and realized how injured he was. The back of his neck was skinned, his right wing was drooping and he wouldn’t put any weight on his right leg. We concluded that the adult roosters most likely attacked/fought the little guy for dominance/territory. We removed the remaining young cockerels out and put them in their own enclosure to avoid further incident.
The injured roo has been isolated in his own brooder since and while we weren’t sure he would survive that first night, he made it through and has a healthy appetite/water intake/digestive system going. He’s turned into a sweetheart and trills when I hold him. Which is why it breaks my heart to not know how to help him.
I know you’re supposed to act fast when it comes to injuries, but we are still only 1 year into chicken-keeping and lack the experience to assess correctly what is wrong and how to help. My biggest concern is his hock, which he tries his hardest not to put weight on. He hops around with his other foot to compensate but I know his walk will get worse as he ages (we had a rooster from another clutch who suddenly developed bow legs and became almost immobile).
At first we put a splint on it for a few days because I saw that’s the most common leg injury. Then I realized later it was more his joint. So I thought it was his tendon, but after feeling around and stretching his leg over the past few days I don’t think it’s slipped out of place. His hock is very swollen and I’m wondering if it’s fractured. In the middle of all this we were out of town for a few days, and then I immediately became ill for the rest of the week upon returning, so I’m aware that we did not identify the problem fast enough to help relieve him of some pain. I tried putting him in a sling as a last effort but he immediately flapped his way out. I would restrain his wings to keep him from doing so but with his right wing also injured (and not treated promptly because the leg took priority) I wouldn’t know how to proceed.
Here’s a picture of his joint along with how he’s been sitting. I’m not so concerned with the wing for now, I mostly just want to know if there’s anything at all I can do for him to help make him more comfortable, or if I’m just prolonging his pain.
A vet is not possible in this situation. I do have it wrapped a tiny bit right now because when first picked up he curls his uninjured leg’s toes around the injured one and scratches up his scales to the point of bleeding.
Any advice is appreciated! Thanks for reading this very long post.
