Attacked hen?

[honeybunny]

This evening, when I went out to close the coop door, I couldn't find my favorite hen. I started looking everywhere, and after I couldn't find her anywhere by the coop, I was devastated and assumed something took her.

It's a mystery how it even happened, really. After 20 minutes of looking(it was a bit dark outside, we'd had a long day), I saw a little white shape by our house -- and it was her. Very far away from the coop, just sitting there. Well, not sitting, and not necessarily standing like a healthy, perky hen would.

I approached her, thinking she was dead at first, but she was alive. Lethargic and seeming to be a bit in shock, but alive enough. She almost looked like she swam through a bunch of mud. It's pretty muddy over here in some areas because of the rain, but there was mud all over her. Wing feathers, belly, etc.

There are quite a few feathers missing from her, but it may be better than it looks because she was a little wet.

I found a cat carrier and put her in, then brought her inside. We inspected her on a table and found a scary neck wound. Broken open skin, but not that much blood. We put some vetericyn on her wound, and then I got a rubbermaid tub, put some hay in it, and let her snuggle up in there in peace. I also gave her a small bowl(because a chicken waterer would take up too much space) filled with a very shallow, safe amount of water, and we added a little bit of sugar to that.

One of her eyes are closed, but I opened it to see if it was injured and it seems alright... maybe she got it poked or pecked?

I checked on her a few minutes ago and she seems a bit better. She looked around and moved a bit.

What's your opinion? Do you think she'll be alright? Any suggestions? When should I feed her?

 

[countrygoddess]

The first thing that comes to mind for me is that a dog came into your yard and grabbed her but for some reason didn't go all the way. Maybe his owner was calling? I don't know--it just feels like dog to me.

Sounds like you did all the right things. I recently had a cock who was injured and I brought him in for a tub bath, a blow dry, some Vetericyn, some electrolyte water, and some R&R in a big plastic tote that I retrofitted a few years ago to be a brooder box. He perked up, started eating and drinking, crowed at 5:00 in the morning from the floor at the foot of our bed (! LOL), then went back out to his comrades late the second day. Your girl may heal fine (do you have pics of her neck wound? The nurse in me is curious); she just needs a few days in her tote. Fingers crossed that there are no internal injuries...

 

[honeybunny]

Dog is a possibility, although we live in a rural area and we're surrounded by pastures, and the neighbors only come into the pastures with their dogs every now and then. I let my old dog out, Misty, but she's never hurt anything in her life. After years of her being around horses, chickens, baby animals, and not even being interested in most toys has made me trust her. My dad actually said other chickens, but I don't see why they would do that to her. Our german shepherd was barking like crazy, so something must have caused a scene.

I can provide pictures, although it will have to be tomorrow, it's late here.

 

[farmer boy]

i don' think a dog did this if a dog did it ( most farmers have bigger type dogs) it couldn't have been big because if it had been big the hen would prob be dead maybe a fox or something do you have fencing around your yard ?? my old dog likes being with the chickens he likes trying to eat my silkies lol but he actually doesn't try you can just tell he wants to but he wont he is a good dog and my aussie shepherd wont even go near the chickens after a momma hen attacked her and my pitbull doesn't bother them at all and all i can think of is a fox and when misty was barking scared it off or something but a dog just doesn't seem to fit for me because if a dog did it around here the hen would prob be dead

 

[countrygoddess]

Dog is a possibility, although we live in a rural area and we're surrounded by pastures, and the neighbors only come into the pastures with their dogs every now and then. I let my old dog out, Misty, but she's never hurt anything in her life. After years of her being around horses, chickens, baby animals, and not even being interested in most toys has made me trust her. My dad actually said other chickens, but I don't see why they would do that to her. Our german shepherd was barking like crazy, so something must have caused a scene.

I can provide pictures, although it will have to be tomorrow, it's late here.

We live in the same kind of area but sometimes someone will walk by with their dog off leash. Or a neighbor up the hill has a visitor who brings their dog and then lets it out to roam (don't get me started about dogs being let out to roam). Or this could have been something else. Whatever it was (it wasn't your other chickens, of that I'm sure), something scared it off--perhaps your German Shepherd--and so it couldn't finish the job.

 

[honeybunny]

Update...

I think she is doing well. She survived the first night, which is pretty important, so there is hope for her.

She's been very quiet, and I think something happened to her eyes. Nothing's been cut open or anything, but she keeps one eye especially closed often and I have to kind of "guide" her to peck at her food or drink water.

She's gentle until you do anything with her neck, and then she recoils a bit and tugs around, so getting a pic of the wound will be difficult, although her wound has scabbed up and is clean.

 

[meeladychicken]

sounds so similar to what I am experiencing now. I am trying to get pictures of her wounds to post.