Dog Attack... Injured Rooster

[CG_Bass]

My dog attacked my chickens and brave Rooster Jake valiantly defended his females but was severely injured while doing so. He has lost his tail and some back feathers as well having some pretty deep puncture wounds. He seemed to be in shock and his breathing was raspy, and I was torn between putting him down and in certain situations it is the humane thing to do, but I have to give him a chance. I rinsed his wounds with distilled water, sprayed him down with Bactracin and placed gauze over his wounds. I have him resting in a a tub with a light for heat in our garage. I read on another site that honey could be given for shock so I have been giving him water with a dropper and a couple of drops of honey. If anyone has any other suggestions for what can be done for Jake please let me know. Has anyone else had this problem successfully trained their dog to stop attacking their chickens? I have always heard that you may as well get rid of one or the other if a dog has taken to killing chickens. Any info is apprecaited.

Christie B.

 

[kelar]

If your roo does not have any deep internal injuries, he will probably recover from his wounds. You are doing all the right things by keeping him warm & clean. Put some vitamin/electrolytes in his water and give him some scrambled egg to encourage him to keep eating. My choice for wounds like this is flushing with Betadine. YES - you can teach your dog to leave the chickens alone, but you will need to use time and patience. I work with mine on a leash and take them with me into the pen - any sign of your dog even looking at the chickens as prey should be strongly discouraged. Voice or leash corrections work fine for this - you can tell by the look in their eye whether or not they are thinking about the chickens as prey. Teach your dog to be quiet and disinterested in the chickens while under your control first. This also accustoms the chickens to your dog so they don't act so much like prey when he is around them. It will take some time, but I've reformed many former chicken chasers/killers to the point where a chicken could walk up and take food out of their mouth. You must remember that you can't take your eyes off your dog until you are absolutely certain he is ok with the birds - it takes time & patience. Good luck with your roo (and your dog) Karen

 

[CG_Bass]

Thanks... My husband was so angry at the dog he was threatening to get rid of her, but he wouldn't have the heart to get of her either. I had all the first aid things i needed on hand, but I am now going through several of these posts and compiling a list of other first aid necessities for my chickens. Thanks again.