Dog mauled my chicken

[ChaoticCritters]

The neighbor's dog was over here AGAIN last night, I didn't see anything but the neighbor hauling his dog away as I was leaving. Sent kid out to check on the chickens and she said everyone was fine... well she miscounted and this morning a frost covered chicken came slowly walking up to me.

Her side is torn open but she was walking ok, just slowly. I wrapped her in a towel, brought her inside and dried her off... the neighbor came over, cleaned her up and stitched her closed. We covered the wound in Tri-care as it's the only thing I have other than injectible antibiotics for the pigs/horses.

She's in my bathroom right now (I have daycare kids and needed to put her "away"). She's in a laundry basket with hay on the bottom and a towel over it. I don't think she's eating or drinking (has both in the basket with her) and definitely no poop. She's just standing there in the basket... no attempt to leave or anything, bright-eyed and just standing there.

What should I do for her now?

 

[WhitWhit]

How is your hen doing now? I hope she makes it. I had a similar thing happen 3 days ago now but my hen has her skin with feathers hanging in front of her that we tried to bandage closed but the hen somehow discarded her bandage yesterday. But she's walking and eating and drinking at least....has the will to live. At least your neighbor was able to sew ;your hen up.

 

[dawg53]

The neighbor's dog was over here AGAIN last night, I didn't see anything but the neighbor hauling his dog away as I was leaving. Sent kid out to check on the chickens and she said everyone was fine... well she miscounted and this morning a frost covered chicken came slowly walking up to me.

Her side is torn open but she was walking ok, just slowly. I wrapped her in a towel, brought her inside and dried her off... the neighbor came over, cleaned her up and stitched her closed. We covered the wound in Tri-care as it's the only thing I have other than injectible antibiotics for the pigs/horses.

She's in my bathroom right now (I have daycare kids and needed to put her "away"). She's in a laundry basket with hay on the bottom and a towel over it. I don't think she's eating or drinking (has both in the basket with her) and definitely no poop. She's just standing there in the basket... no attempt to leave or anything, bright-eyed and just standing there.

What should I do for her now?

Not eating or drinking isnt a good sign. Perhaps giving her some poultry nutri drench, a couple of drops orally via eyedropper. There's probably internal injuries. All you can do is provide comfort support.

 

[ChaoticCritters]

She's eating and drinking a little bit. She either perches on the side of the laundry basket or snuggles in it and if I stick food/water right under her beak, she will take a bit.

She ate about 1/3 of an egg yolk hardboiled, a small amount of cracked corn, a teeny bit of turkey feed and some laying feed yesterday. This morning she was eating some laying feed in a dish I stuck under her beak.

Taking the dog into the vet this morning to have the staples from his cancer surgery removed. His vet knows us and agreed to give her shots and check her stitches, I've just got to go grab the shots from our equine vet's wife. Equine vet is out of town but he had his wife prepare them for me.

 

[WhitWhit]

Sounds like your hen is getting the best of care. You are so lucky to have a vet caring enough to look at a chicken and administe meds.

 

[ChaoticCritters]

We have POOP!

Never thought I would be happy about this but despite eating/drinking, we've had no poop. Well she made up for that this morning.

I think she pooped half her body weight.

She is refusing to eat laying feed. She will eat game bird feed though (I think she likes the crumbles vs pellets). Would a bag of crumble chick starter feed be a better option and do I need to add grit? My girls all free-range 44 acres so I've never fed anything other than layer pellets once they got off starter feed and went outside.