Dog Attack!

[mvinson1978]

I just rescued one of my BR's out of the mouth of our neighbors cocker spaniel. She walked slowly to the nearest bush and tried to hide beneath it. All of her tail feathers are gone and she is pretty shaken up but doesn't appear to be bleeding or anything. I put her back in the coop and she's just been laying down in the corner not doing anything.

What should I do with her if anything? Will the others pick on her?

 

[dogzrule5]

This happened to me once. I had a litter of foster puppies and they got three of my hens. One was in bad shape so I took it to my neighbor and asked him to put her out of her misery - I couldn't.

Another one had a hunk taken out of her but I didn't realize. I thought she was just shaken up, so I put her in the garage in a dog crate. Only the next day I realized she had a huge hunk out of her back - just before the tail feathers. She actually survived and lived till just last summer. I think she was about 8 years old (she was given to me when she was 2).

Put her somewhere quiet for a while and she'll probably be fine. One thing I've learned is that chickens are tougher than we think.

 

[DuckLady]

THe biggest concern here is internal injuries. Keep her quiet with lots of water to drink.
Watch for paleness of comb and wattles and black tarry or bloody poop, indicating internal bleeding.

Good luck.

 

[mvinson1978]

Thanks for the responses. I'll keep my eye on her. She seems to be doing better.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Oh I hope that baby is ok! Did you let the neighbor know what the dog did? I hope they feel bad. I know if my dog did that I would feel terrible!

 

[mvinson1978]

Yeah, the neighbor was out there witnessing the whole thing. He felt bad about it but I'm sure it'll happen again if I let them free range w/o supervision. I guess I'll just have to build a large extended run for them so they can still free range.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

That's good that he felt bad about it at least. Maybe he will keep his doggie home now? Lets hope! I'm SO worried about my neighbors dogs! They have two BIG dogs who come visit all the time and I would love to let my flock out to free range but so scared they will be eaten by the dogs! I LOVE my neighbors and their dogs were here first so I don't know what to do!

 

[ponderchick]

I'm so sorry to hear about your chickens getting attacked. I'm in the same boat, my dog killed two of my ladies this evening. I have had alot of folks tell me I'm nuts for being so attached to my ladies, but chickens are by far the best pets I've ever had. I hope that your little one gets better, i agree that a little rest and quiet time should hopefully help her heal. keep us posted and let us know how she is doing.

 

[SpottedCrow]

The only thing you can really do is to make the most secure run that you can to keep your birds safe.
Keep the dogs away from the birds. Train the dogs that the birds are yours. Don't let them out loose if the birds are out...

sorry for your losses, ponderchick.

 

[mvinson1978]

She is up this morning eating and drinking and acting more like herself so hopefully she's going to be alright. Her comb is still nice and red and poop is still normal.

Thanks again for all the nice responses!