day 17, horrific dog attack. should I bathe her?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Glad to hear she is continuing to improve and wants to do chicken things. Are you able to cover her wounds in any way or is she just going to have to wait to rejoin the flock.

 

[lalaland]

Most of her wounds aren't visible unless she lifts a wing or moves a certain way, but the broad gash across her back and the hole on her left side are visible as there was so much feather loss. Because she is full of feather shafts/pin feathers, I don't think putting on a saddle is a good idea, plus it would be on top of healing skins.

When all the hens are jockeying for roosting space, no one pays any attention to her wounds, but when she has been wandering in the coop with a couple of hens, they have all stopped to graze on her.

She also does not have enough endurance yet and needs to build up strength.

can't wait for the day when she has a semi full crop!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Now I understand more where's she is at, might be a while yet.

 

[lalaland]

yeah, everytime I think she is doing great, there is some small indication of a set back.

Today, for example, she had free run of half the coop. Flew up to a roost, when I came back 3 hours later, she was in the same spot on the roost. I brought some egg up to her and she happily ate a few bites. Brought up a water container to her and she drank a fair amount. Both feed and water were available to her if she had flown down from the roost.

Since she didn't, I wonder if getting up on the roost was about all she had strength for and didn't have it in her to fly back down.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

From your description of the wounds I would think the muscles used to flap the wings are damaged, and I would think it would hurt, she probably didn't want to feel that again so she just stopped moving. My thoughts anyways.

 

[lalaland]

that makes sense, I know one shoulder or wing is lower than the other when she is standing.

Now that I think of it, I don't think she has flown down from the roost because I'm always getting her before she can get down - I don't want her outside with the other chickens yet so have to grab her while everyone is still roosting and pop her in her kennel.

I've seen a few threads where people had their injured chickens from dog attacks in separate care for 3 months. I'm hoping it will not be lthat ong before she can go back with everyone.

 

[BantyChooks]

that makes sense,  I know one shoulder or wing is lower than the other when she is standing.

Now that I think of it, I don't think she has flown down from the roost because I'm always getting her before she can get down - I don't want her outside with the other chickens yet so have to grab her while everyone is still roosting and pop her in her kennel.

I've seen a few threads where people had their injured chickens from dog attacks in separate care for 3 months.  I'm hoping it will not be lthat ong before she can go back with everyone.  

Just wanted to pop my head in, I had a severly injured chicken (entire side ripped off) survive a dog attack, it did take her a few months to recover. Unfortonatly, I can't tell you how long it took to become completely recovered, because when she was almost healed, that dog somehow broke through both a sturdy run and a hardware cloth cage and killed her. (There was a small hole in the hardware cloth, which had been covered with a board & nailed on)
I hope your chicken has a speedy recovery.

 

[lalaland]

bubbles, that is awful, I am so sorry.

The dog that did this attack is from a neighbor about 1/3 mile away, and the dog still shows up on my land, and I can't get the owner to keep control of the dog. I lost 3 hens earlier this summer - every few weeks. The last one was when I came home from work, opened the run, went into the house to change and hadn't even gotten my shirt off before the dog came.

I am thinking of asking the dog owner to bring his dog over and let it get shocked a couple of times by the fence. Aversion therapy. The dog will be back. I don't have the stomach to shoot it, nor the pistol or gun.

 

[BantyChooks]

bubbles, that is awful, I am so sorry.   

The dog that did this attack is from a neighbor about 1/3 mile away, and the dog still shows up on my land, and I can't get the owner to keep control of the dog.  I lost 3 hens earlier this summer - every few weeks.  The last one was when I came home from work, opened the run, went into the house to change and hadn't even gotten my shirt off before the dog came.

I am thinking of asking the dog owner to bring his dog over and let it get shocked a couple of times by the fence.  Aversion therapy.  The dog will be back.  I don't have the stomach to shoot it, nor the pistol or gun.

Aww.

Beefing up security is what I did, it works the best. Shocking would probably work, too, if you have an electric fence.

I hope your dog issue gets resolved, that dog got rehomed (the owner is a chickenkeeper as well) but now I have stray dog problems.

 

[GodofPecking]

The dog will be back. I don't have the stomach to shoot it, nor the pistol or gun.

Does it have a collar or microchip ? if it does, release the dog further and further away. If the owner has to travel 100kms each week to pick up their mutt, they may see the light a bit faster.