Injured cockerel

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chickenfan

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Have come home to find my lovely faverolles cockerel in a collapsed heap barely alive and being attacked by my bantam speckled sussex cockerel which somehow got into his pen. He is now in the house warming up but his feathered are covered in mud and blood all over his head. He has one eye closed and possibly lost. Does anyone have any suggestions about reviving an injured bird? I am tempted to bath him as his feathers are so wet and dirty and to avoid infection, but he seems a little concussed at the moment.

I can't believe my little unagressive (with me) bantam has done this, especially as he already had his own harem separated by a 6ft fence.
 
Oh dear, not another disaster, I'm so sorry.
You are right to bring him in out of the cold and to keep him warm. He will be in shock, so as little handling and disturbance as possible will help him. If it's possible, I would try to bathe his head injuries with a weak solution of salt and water, and not worry too much about the state of his body feathers at the moment, unless you think he has more body injuries that should be cleaned. Then offer him water and some tasty food, such as scrambled egg, mealworms, sunflower seeds and a warm mash, which he may not eat but as he wasn't ill when attacked, he won't suffer too much from not eating for a while. Then leave him in a comfortable dark warm place overnight, without further disturbance or stress, and cross your fingers that he will come out of the shock and be a bit more recovered in the morning. Then, depending on what his injuries look like tomorrow, maybe you'll be able to clean him up a bit more, and decide whether or not to take him to the vet. His eye injury sounds as if it may be more serious, although it's possible that a lot of the blood came from a comb injury, which always bleeds a lot, often without being too serious.
Was the bantam OK?
 
Thank you so much Marigold. Yes, bantam looks untouched. I am still learning about Faverolles. They are amazingly gentle birds. He has had a long rest and now, a little to eat and back to sleep. The eye is still closed, but it is still there. Otherwise it seems most of the pecking that drew blood was to the back of the head and comb, which I have sprayed with gentian violet, and he has lost the down on his side. My main worry is his eye, but perhaps I can put cat eye drops in it to help prevent infection and will ask BHWT Vet.
 
They do recover very quickly Chickenfan, but the eye is a real concern, as are internal unseen injuries. It is likely that dirt has got under the eyelid and will need flushing out. Perhaps a job for the vet?

Spring is when cockerels will fight for no apparent reason and is the time to be most vigilant. Ours are separated by double fencing one metre apart -a distance we have found to be a minimum to avoid them getting tangled in the mesh whilst attempting to get to a rival. At one metre apart they are content just to pace back and forth.
 
How is he today? So glad he was seeming to recover a bit yesterday evening. Although internal injuries are possible I would think from the nature of the attack the damage is probably confined to his head. I had a female quail who had a really bad mating injury and I thought she would lose an eye, but she did recover fully once the swelling went down.
 
Thank you both so much. Arthur has done a miraculous recovery today, and the eye has opened too. I need to find him a home with his unrelated POL faverolles hen, both lovely examples of the breed.

I don't trust the little speckled sussex now, so he is in a covered coop. Is his behaviour normal?
 
That's great, I'm glad he's OK.
I think I would be looking to rehome the Sussex, (or make him into Sunday lunch) since Arthur has a much nicer personality, not too common in a cockerel. It sounds as if he didn't even fight back, what a lovely soppy boy.
 
I also have Albert, another cuddly Faverolles, with Arthur's sister. Gorgeous breed.
 
The little sussex bantam that did the damage is a wonderfully sweetnatured boy apart from with other cockerels. I think its quite normal for them to kill each other?? I have kept him in a 2.5m covered coop since the incident, only letting him out to join his girls late afternoon. Is this cruel? He looks OK. I obviously need to create a proper covered pen for this cockerel, as I am afraid now of him getting out of his pen to another cockerel. I don't like clipping wings, but I wonder if this might be another option?
 
I hope Arthur is still getting better?
I don't think clipping wings would have any effect at all, Chickenfan - if the little Sussex saw an opportunity to get in with another cockerel he would have a go, and bantams are good fliers as you know. Probably separate fencing, with his own girls, is the way to go, unless you succeed in rehoming him.
 
Thank you for asking Marigold. Arthur is fine and full of himself with all the hens. I'm not planning to rehome Byron, the bantam. He is just what I want for breeding - gentle with the hens, easy-going, lovely to handle and a beautiful bird. Interesting that clipping a wing wouldn't help. He is expensive as I need a covered run for him with his girls.
 
I have to go away for 10 days. Do you think it is acceptable to keep bantam cockerel separated in a 2.5 m coop amongst his hens while I am away and until I can build something bigger? Would it perhaps be better to put one or two hens with him (but they are all used to free ranging)?
 
He needs some company I think, more hens maybe? Is there any way you can leave things unchanged and have someone look in on them each day?
 
We have some cockerels separated permanently Chickenfan. They are fine when they can see the hens up close to them on the other side of the run wire.
 
This is good to know, Chris. Do you keep the cockerels each in a separate pen? Or sometimes two cockerels together? I think the young cockerels might get quite exhausted looking after their hens, making sure they have everything nice to eat etc. I put mine in a catbox in an outbuilding overnight (to keep the neighbours happy) with their own food supply and they always seem ravenous.

I'm also wondering whether it might work to put the cockerel with the hens just for some of the day so that they don't get damaged feathers?
 
We had two cockerels in together but last Spring they fought. We only had the second cockerel in to keep each other company so when the fighting started the nasty one was separated then despatched. The cocks kept separate, and there is only one now, are 'spares' in case something happens to the one in the breeding set. So when Claude died, Jean-Claude took over. When we next breed we will keep another. The reason we do this is because two of our breeds cannot be replaced in France, the Brown English Leghorn bantams and the TNN's, whereas Buff Orpingtons and Blue Laced Wyandottes can.

I see no reason why the cockerel can't be kept separate. Our pet cockerel has always slept separately and now goes to his hens for just 4 hours a day. In theory the cockerel needs only to tread the hens once every two weeks to maintain a supply of fertile eggs. I think you would need to keep them in sight of their hens though. There is a bond formed between them, certainly with Wyandottes, and complete isolation would result in a lot of stress.
 
Thank you very much for your advice on keeping cockerels Chris. Always better to keep one's own cockerel I think, rather than buying one in. He will also pass on any immunities built up in the local area.
 
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