Chicken Tails

Recently I let our three Greyhounds into our fenced backyard and quickly realized by the loud chicken noises that the chickens had gotten into the dog yard and were being killed. I raced to the backyard screaming. I used every ounce of strength to pull our three dogs off my Blue Silkie Roo, Madeline. Fortunately I never turn my dogs out without their muzzles on as they easily injure each other's thin skin by just a tiny tooth nick. So even though they had Madeline pinned for at least a full minute I was able to pull him out and rush him to safety. I was devastated to see little Blue Roo had a skin tear the entire length of his neck that would require stitches or he would die. I didn't even know if stitches would work. Before I could take Madeline to the Vet though my dogs had found three more chickens which required me to race from one to the next pulling the dogs off just for a fraction of a second so I could toss the chicken over the fence. I was overwhelmed and devastated that I potentially had just lost four out of eight of my chickens that I had so carefully raised from baby chicks.

I then drove Madeline to our Vet and waited patiently for him to be seen. What a sweet little roo, without complaint he sat quietly in my lap wondering what all the fuss was. The receptionist asked what it was exactly that I was holding, while a young girl stared at him with fascination. They said to the Vet that they didn't have a code for chicken or rooster in their computer system. Fortunatley they quickly took Madeline to the backroom for a bit of anethesia and stitches. Madeline was ready to go within an hour. As soon as I put Madeline in his new confinement cage to heal, he started pecking at his food right away and never acted sick or sore!! They also gave us some antibiotic capsules to open and sprinkle in his water for a week. I ended up putting a Black Silkie hen in with Madeline for the weeklong confinement. It was for companionship as well as to give the Black Silkie some antibiotics too. She had lost a number of feathers under her wings and had some very excoriated, sore skin. I also rubbed antibiotic ointment under her wings.
After all of this I am so happy to report that all of the chickens are doing great and seem like nothing happened. So now we are very careful to check the dog yard BEFORE letting any dogs outside. Had the dogs not had on their muzzles and had I not been right outside near their yard all four of the chickens would have been killed. I feel terrible that this happened but have learned my lesson.
I don't know how many people would rush their rooster to the Vet for $47 worth of anesthesia and stitches but it was the only thing I could do. Little Blue Roo is just so sweet and docile.