Need Advice for Injured Hen

[jenmenke]

Hi all,

I looked thru several threads with similar issues to mine, but I want to make sure I'm covering all my bases.

My hen was attacked by my dog 2 days ago. Initially I thought she would die, but she hasn't. She is drinking water and eating a little. She definitely has an badly injured leg, as she isn't moving around much at all. She can limp a bit. She can stand.

It is possible she has worse injuries, but only time will tell.

NEED ADVICE:
Should I do anything other than keep her comfortable with fresh water and soft food nearby?
Do I need to worry about her eggs? I doubt she could lay right now -- will that kill her? Should I put her in a bath?
Anything else?

thanks
Jennie

 

[Wynette]

Jennie, does she have any open wounds? If she does, you should probably put her on a course of antibiotics so that any infection is dealt with. I had a hen that injured her leg someone several months ago; I separated her into a smallish dog crate so she couldn't exacerbate the injury. She ended up staying in that crate for 8 weeks. The first 4, I took her out only to change the bedding. After that, I allowed her into a small chicken run (4' x 8') to stretch her wings & see how she was doing . She was still limping, but I watched her closely to make sure she wasn't running around. Another 8 full weeks of her staying in that dog crate and getting about an hour a day out in the small run, and then I began putting her in the run for half a day (for a week), now all day - she's been alone, all day, in this small run, now for a few weeks and is doing quite well. I'll wait another week just to be sure, but my hen is hopping in & out of the nestbox & up to the roost, so I think she's almost ready to go back to general population. I'm quite sure she had a broken bone, and those take weeks to heal. The slower, the better, in my opinion.

Your hen won't lay if she is stressed, but I wouldn't worry about that now. If she lays, she lays. If not, don't worry about it. You need to get her healed up first & foremost.

I wouldn't do anything to stress her (like give a bath) at all. She needs to remain quiet.

 

[jenmenke]

thanks for quick response Wynette.

I did not see any open wounds. I think the dog basically "crunched her" once before I got to her I have not ruled out internal injuries as she was "gurgling" and dripping clear liquid out of her beak after the attack. She "vomited" totally clear liquid a couple of times when I moved her later that night. No blood at all though.

I couldn't believe she made it thru the night. I just got to thinking about her eggs and if she was busted up and not able to lay with eggs in the hopper... I just want her to not be in agony.

She is an "only chicken". So I don't need to worry about any other bothering her. She, herself, is not moving, but if she does, I will put her in a dog crate.

As long as you say I don't need to worry about the eggs, I won't. I'll keep you posted on her progress.

Thanks again, so much.

 

[jenmenke]

Lil Red Update:
She is still alive and doing better. Eating more. More alert, More "normal". Making her chicken noises.

I have not restricted her to a kennel and I'm conflicted about that because I don't want to make her injury worse. I'm just keeping a close eye on her. She is actually she is starting to move around a bit now and watching her, it's looking like it might be isolated to a broken leg, but possibly higher up, given her improvement in other vital signs.

I don't know if I have the staying power to put her in a little dog kennel for the last nice days of a MN summer. I'm bad at tough love.

 

[jenmenke]

Another update: She is doing great! No eggs yet, but she is perky and seems very "normal" other than limp. Chickens are so much tougher than you think.

 

[hyzenthlay]

Thank you for posting the updates on your hen, and I'm glad she seems to have healed! Your updates are very helpful for people who find themselves in similar situations--I had a pullet attacked by a dog this afternoon, so I'm looking for everything I can find. She has a wound on her back, but I'm more concerned about possible internal injuries, since her legs look fine but she has kind of a drunk looking walk, and she's not eating yet. I'm glad your hen turned out ok!