Chicken Attacked, need advice

[halversonfarm]

Hi everyone! New to BYC. We have had our chickens about 4 months now and never had any problem with predators until today. A stray dog got into our coop this morning. We saw the dog running off, and the chicken looked to be dead. We picked it up and it perked up. I looked it over and didn't see any blood, just some missing feathers. All day I have been checking on it, and it has remained lethargic. I checked it out again more carefully, and found raw skin and missing tail feathers. I also discovered the bite marks on the tail.

My question is...is there anything we can do for the chicken? Are we going to have to put her down? If she does have to die, can we eat her meat, or would it be unsafe because of the unknown condition of the dog?


Thanks for any help!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Renegade Rescue]

Sorry to hear about the Chicken, I would for sure not eat the meat if she does pass. Is the chicken still bleeding? She may be a bit in shock after the attack. Hope all works out and welcome to BYC.

 

[dawg53]

Play it safe. If the bird dies, discard the carcass.

 

[leadwolf1]

Put the chicken in a warm, dark place. She is in shock. Unless there are internal injuries, she should be just fine in a few days. Provide water with vitamins/electrolytes and food. She may not be interested at first but as she feels safe, she will eat/drink. Most important is the warm/dark/safe place to recover.

 

[leadwolf1]

Play it safe. If the bird dies, discard the carcass.

x2

 

[halversonfarm]

Thanks everyone for the quick advice. Be chicken newbies, we didn't see this coming. Guess no one does when a predator attacks. I will baby her and pray that she recovers.

 

[halversonfarm]

And to answer the question, the chicken is no longer bleeding. Underneath her tail feathers are where the bite was and it is a little chewed up. Going out now to give her some TLC!

 

[pennyacres]

Put the chicken in a warm, dark place. She is in shock. Unless there are internal injuries, she should be just fine in a few days. Provide water with vitamins/electrolytes and food. She may not be interested at first but as she feels safe, she will eat/drink. Most important is the warm/dark/safe place to recover.