Dog Attack

[steelelaw1]

A dog broke into our yard and attacked one of our chickens last night. The chicken looks fine except there is a 6-8 inch long "thing" hanging from its throat. It feels warm to the touch but also feels and looks like matted feathers. There was no blood, and other than this, everything looks good. She is keeping to herself, but eating and drinking. I am afraid to remove it in case it's not just feathers.

 

[Mimi13]

Could you post a picture? Hopefully it is not the bird’s trachea since you said there was no blood.

 

[ellenscoop]

I would take her to see a vet. Dogs carry a harmful bacteria which can be deadly to chickens. Here is a good example case story about a hen who was attacked by a dog - http://www.poultrydvm.com/cases/goldie

 

[steelelaw1]

Could you post a picture? Hopefully it is not the bird’s trachea since you said there was no blood.

Here are the pics I could get. All of them are stressed and staying in the coop. Buster, the rooster, is doing his job by being very protective this morning.

 

[Mimi13]

Here are the pics I could get. All of them are stressed and staying in the coop. Buster, the rooster, is doing his job by being very protective this morning.View attachment 1552410 View attachment 1552411

Can you feel what is at the base of the mass? Meaning what does it feel like closest to her body? You need to part the feathers down to the skin where it is hanging from to see exactly what is causing the mass of feathers. If there’s no blood or cuts to the skin I believe you could squirt some warm water at the base of the feather mass and work the water in with your fingers to loosen it all. It may just be that loose feathers are stuck together with dried dog saliva or slobber, as I would ordinarily call it. Hopefully it’s nothing more than that, but that is a start.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

I can’t see by the pic but it might be the trachea. I would take her to the vet asap

 

[Abriana]

Be sure to keep the area clean and dry and I’d agree with Ducksandchickens, take her to the vet. I hope everything turns out well

 

[Mimi13]

After seeing the pictures I don’t believe it is the trachea. If it were hanging that low you would also see the crop and blood. It could still possibly be an injury dealing with a hanging piece of skin, with feathers attached, needing medical attention, but I’m still skeptical since there is no evidence of blood.

 

[steelelaw1]

After seeing the pictures I don’t believe it is the trachea. If it were hanging that low you would also see the crop and blood. It could still possibly be an injury dealing with a hanging piece of skin, with feathers attached, needing medical attention, but I’m still skeptical since there is no evidence of blood.

I went to check on her and she started coming to me. Buster stopped her though. She was eating and I when I left she perched. It's nice to know he is doing his job. My husband will be home soon. I know that Buster will let him in the coop. I am trying not to give them any reason to stress, so I am willing to take it slow since there is no blood. Our vet is open tomorrow, so if we can't figure it out tonight, we will taker her in. Thank you for your help.

 

[Mimi13]

Good luck tomorrow and I didn’t even say Welcome to BYC. This is the place to be if you are ever just stumped or really need help. There are so many wonderfully intelligent chicken lovers here. Enjoy your time here, after you get this little emergency dealt with, that is.