Poorly cockerel - advice please!

[Nicos]

Looks like my two lads had fisty-cuffs this morning

Doesn't happen very often and it's usually just a bit of a ruffle, peck and a couple of kicks.
Looks like the jnr brother has had his eye pecked.
Can't get to see it properly at the mo as he's looking very dejected and hunched up.
I've put him in the coop and given him a cuddle but need to see what's happened to his eye.Lots of gunge and squidgy flesh- I'm crossing my fingers it's not part of his eyeball

I'll go and check him out again soon and bathe it in warm water.
Then what?
I do have some antibiotics left from Lily- if it is his eyeball what on earth do I do?

[Nicos]

Oh great!...I've just asked a neighbour what they think I should do...


yup- eat him

( I was expecting something a bit more medical to be honest!...when will I learn??)

[frias]

Oh dear. Sounds as if the boys might have to live apart now anyway. Don't think I could cope with an injure eye. Are the vets any good in France? He might need antibiotic cream or drops. Hopefully it'll turn out to be not as bad as first feared. Fingers crossed.

[Nicos]

Ha- we've just cross posted.

To be honest I got laughed at last time I had a sick chook..so not too sure what reception I'd get.
I'll go and have another look at him now- poor lad.
If it's just the skin from under his eye then I won't be too worried. If it is his eyeball I imagine the area would need cleaning out and that would surely be too painful for me to do.

I'll go and look.

[RichmondHens]

Panic not at this stage Nicos. It often looks worse than it is. Bathe it in warm water and then leave him be (on his own) for a day or so and see how he is. Which antibiotic do you have? If it just a general use one then I'm sure it would be ok to dose him up, to prevent infection. My cocks are often having bust ups - despite being in separate enclosures there is often one or other who flies out and goes off to antagonise someone else.

It's amazing how resilient they are too. They are much better than hens at coping with injuries. With an eye I'm not so sure but even if he loses the sight in it it's not necessarily the end for him, the main thing at this stage is to prevent infection, if the actual eyeball is damaged (may not be, might just look that way at the moment).

[Nicos]

I'm fairly sure the eyeball is perforated. I can't believe how hard it is to check!
I can see the black and there is a trace of blood and a bit of the inner lid is moving across the eye.
Very watery and the surrounding skin is warm. He's hiding in the coop and looking very sorry for himself.
If he does lose the eye and survived, would he be less likely to attack the other cockerel in the future?
Oh- and I have baytril tablets.

[RichmondHens]

I'm sure using the Baytril will be fine but you could ring your vet to check. The only thing to remember is there is a 7 day withdrawal for meat, so if you decide to cull him because he is going downhill, you will not be able to eat him.

If he survives the attack but loses the eye I'm sure he will behave differently round the other cock. Hopefully if he becomes fully submissive no more injuries will happen, but you never know, they are funny things, cocks!

(We are having fun and games with our cocks at the moment, but that's another story.)

[lindyloo]

i dont think he will be submissive to the other cock, the fighting cock is probably going to continue, especially at this time of year. the hens too might gang up on him to peck at his injured eye, so i think he might have to remain seperate from the others for a good long while, and then live with just a hen or 2 of his own.

nicos, is there watery whitish gunk coming out of the eyeball itself? if not he may have just ripped the inner eyelid, i am not sure i would put any sort of creme or ointment in to the eye, just use the baytrill tablets, and bathe the eye with sterile water and a little boric acid ( from the chemist) i would just try to squeeze some in and let it wash any debris out. poor boy- i hope he's going to be ok. (does a ruptured eyeball dry up and heal by itself?)

[its hilly]

If it was me Nicos I would get someone to pin him down, get syringe or mug full of saline or sterile water and gently but thoroughly wash it off, and see if you can see what is wrong. If you cant, and its closed, then try putting a patch covered in some suitable very gentle/diluted animal antiseptic over it to protect from knocks and draw out infection. I would worry that if the eyeball is punctured it could get infected, not even sure 100% about antiseptic with the eye being delicate, but cockerals are usualy tough beggers so he stands a fair chance whatever. And stuff him with antibiotics and treats. Keep him on his own, or with a very quiet hen for company.
Good luck anyway.

[lindyloo]

the reason i suggested boric acid in sterilized water was that the vet recomended it to me for a horse, ( eyes are a very tricky area in horses) . the method we used was a cotton wool pad soaked in the solution to gather up the water, and then squeezed from a short distance, to allow the solution to drip into the eye cavity, so you then dont have the risk of jabbing the eye with a sharp object- tube end, syrynge end, bit of cloth etc. ..you could use a weak salt solution if it was very dilute. the worry, i think, is that eh could die of shock, if you use anything too strong.

[Nicos]

Thanks for all your support peeps!
OH has just let them all out.
He's choosing to stay in the coop (pigsty)
......and is happily tucking ino his breakfast! (phew!)
Apparently his eye is now slightly open.
I'll leave him to munch his brekky and then have a closer look.

I've got 7 days supply of Baytril so I'll get started on that today now that he doesn't look like he'll be our neighbours Sunday roast!

I'm wondering if all the pale/transparent flesh under his eye was his inner lid??? ( rather that than part of is eyeball!)
Poor sole- me thinks he'll be having lots of cuddles for the next few days!

Will also give the vet a ring when I know exactly what the problem is.
Will keep you updated!

[lindyloo]

glad it sounds more optimistic today.

[Nicos]

It is a bit- thanks.
Paxo is out of the coop, eating and drinking and crowing , but keeping well away from AuVin

He is however totally blind in that eye. The inner lid covers over the eyeball when he crows, so it is still there, but the eyeball looks flatter and is getting cloudy.
I can see the pupil which looks bigger and the orange iris- but when I flicked my fingers near his eye he didn't notice- but whenI moved my had round to the front he freaked out as soon as he spotted it.
I called in at the vets- and they said ..well you could give him antibiotics...either drops of tablets...or just leave him and see what happens.
Great help.
At least his eye is moist and opening and closing- so I'll keep an eye on it . Tears are supposed to be the best antiseptics aren't they??? ( his- not mine!)

I don't feel so panicy now- but poor lad eh?

[lindyloo]

this definately sounds better than a ruptured eyeball. and he sounds quite perky, which is a good sign. i think he will be able to cope well as a partially sighted cock, so as long as he doesnt get infection or the others start to peck at his eye, it sounds like he has a good chance. i think if it was me i would probably give him antibiotic for 3 days, rinse it out if it looks gammy, but otherwise i think i would just leave it alone and let nature take its course. ( unless he was suffering, which it sounds like he isnt) animals and livestock eh, never a dull moment!

[lindyloo]

how is he doing???