A dog attacked my chicken and now she is trying to eat herself!

Bunbun0412

Songster
Dec 18, 2020
299
508
146
I have a hen that was attacked by a dog two days ago, at the moment she is doing fine and eating and drinking water but I feel that this situation could take a turn for the worst! She no longer has a tail and hair tail bone is showing a lot she has some loose pieces of flesh on her sides under her wings and she has made it purple from pecking at it... Please help if you have any advice this is my cousins chicken and we are both very close to her, I really want her to live
 
Anyone who responded to this post, thank you and I want to let you know that she is perfectly fine and is back in the coop with the other chickens. her tail is still smaller than the others but it is almost full-sized... Thank you for all of everyone's helpful info and I hope this makes you feel a bit better!
 
Okay, I just wasn't sure because they don't specialize in chickens but thank you!
Then why pay for a vet if you aren't confident in their services?
A vet *should* be knowledgeable in wound care, evaluating the extent of injury and will be the quickest source of getting antibiotics and/or pain medications if those are needed.

I assume you are young, you will likely get conflicting info as to how to treat your hen since you are asking a vet along with backyard keepers. Products and opinions will vary. Sticking with one plan of treatment is the best way to help your hen heal.
 
The basics of wound care are important to remember.

1. Flush every morning with saline solution or warm soapy water. This is to remove bacteria that has attached to the wound from the air each day. (Avoid hydrogen peroxide as it kills new skin cells that are trying to grow.)

2. Keep the wound moist with the antimicrobial ointment you have. But don't let the wound get wet from water sources other than what you use to clean it each day.

3. If there are any loose flaps of skin, do not cut them off. Use them to lay over the open wounds where you are able. Use your wound ointment to "glue" them in place then smooth the ointment over the top. Do you understand the concept of skin grafts? That's what this is and it helps heal open wounds three times faster.

4. As others have pointed out, she may appear to be "eating" her wounds, but she's really just pecking at them because they hurt. Humans do the same thing when they grab a sore thumb they just hit with a hammer. Give her a chewable aspirin, one in the morning, and a second one late in the day. This will reduce her pain.

5. An oral antibiotic is necessary to keep bacteria from moving into her bloodstream and killing her. Ask the vet to phone a prescription to your pharmacy. Be sure it has refills if needed.
 
I think it is irritating her but I am not sure specifically is irritating her. And she was doing that before we put it on. I am thinking it might be because her bones are showing, chickens like the taste of chicken, and it is red.

Her bones are showing? I think you're battling something way bigger than most of us can help with over a forum. If bones are showing you're talking much more than a minor injury that can be fixed with some topical ointment and time.

With bones showing you really are going to be having a bird in major pain and have huge risk of infection. Its not really common for chickens to just eat themselves because they like the taste.

I hate to be blunt but do you have a vet involved? Reason I ask is pain medication and anti biotics are likely going to be needed to help this bird survive and the issue of bones showing will have to be addressed. There is a lot of pain and suffering that will happen with a wound of this degree and I know a lot of people can't pay the expensive vet costs so sometimes the best option is to humanely put them down.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom