Dog Attack! One hen with a pretty bad wound...

[Chick-N-Antics]

Hello everyone,

My flock has been reduced by a third. I didn't see the dog myself but my neighbor and landlord said he spotted a strange dog in the neighborhood. I was home when the attack happened although I didn't see it...just the damage afterwards. I found four dead hens, a wounded hen about a quarter mile away and my biggest, prettiest hen (that would crow for me) is gone!

I know this stuff happens but it doesn't make it any easier...

I was wondering what I could do for the hen that has a wound on her back. I did not have any wound coat to put on her. When I found her she seemed fine. I cleaned her up the best I could and put her in a seperate area. She seemed okay this morning before I left for work again drinking and eating. The wound did not seem to be bleeding any more but I am so concerned about the dog bite. Besides wound coat is there anything else I should be putting on it? Should I continue to clean it out regularly or just let it be? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your assitance.

 

[tammye]

flush the wound with a half and half peroxide and water or salt and water. apply some antibiotic ointment to the wound and she should be fine with a little time. That dog will be back for some more "fun" so you will need to keep them fenced in or secure your run better to prevent him from getting to them again, so sorry that you lost so many, hope you fine the missing one, she may be hiding somewhere

 

[dawg53]

I'm sorry for your losses, alot of heartbreak.
Keeping her seperated is a good idea til her wounds heal. Flush the wounds with a 50-50 betadine/water mixture. Then put neosporin (without pain reliever) on the wounds, including punctures. Provide her with scrambled egg mixed in her feed...the egg will provide her a protein boost. Continue with the neosporin treatment til she's fully healed. She'll heal in a time. Good luck.

 

[chicmom]

Oh, so sorry to hear that! Just this past Sunday, I looked out my kitchen window to see my neighbor's dog in my back yard, with my white hen, Whitey, pinned down and feathers everywhere! I screamed and ran outside as quick as I could. I was lucky.....Whitey didn't have a speck of blood on her....Just alot of lost feathers.

My neighors were outside when this happened too, as I was running I said "YOUR DOG IS IN MY BACKYARD AND IT'S KILLING MY CHICKENS!" Well, I was a little bit excited...........

Anyhow, I am so sorry you lost some hens, and I hope your wounded gal recovers......

Take care,

Sharon

 

[Chick-N-Antics]

I am so anxious to get home that I'm just beside myself. Infection is my biggest concern. I will try flushing the wound out and putting the anitbiotic ointment...though I'm hoping she doesn't try to eat it.

I've managed to keep all my birds alive for three years, from just hatched little chicks until now. They are so used to behing able to safely peck around in yard, which is fenced in and gated that I feel like I let them down. We live on a dead end dirt road in the country and it was such a nice day that I just didn't think that anything would happen before I went down to shut the gate! Twenty-minutes later I went out to check on them and give'em a treat and it was just a mess. My brain just didn't register what all the feathers meant 'til I started calling and looking for them.

Lesson learned.

Thanks for the advice guys...

 

[Chick-N-Antics]

Oh yeah, they normally are in a fenced in run during the day and do not come out unless I'm home. It just so happened I was home with a bad cold...

They didn't seem real interested in coming out this morning so I left them inside their coop.