Dog attacked chicken - ripped out tail feathers

[HippieAtHeart]

That's a lot less severe than I expected, but it's still pretty bad. At this point the most you can do is control her pain and keep the wound clean and dry.

She may just pass on her own, but honestly, you'll know.

Okay thank you very much. She is old from what I gather (previous owner didn’t tell us) so it’s hard to say which way she’ll go. I appreciate your help through this.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Most people get rid of their laying hens around 3-years-old, when they start laying less. She can't be older than three. Aside from the missing backside, she appears to be in decent health.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Most people get rid of their laying hens around 3-years-old, when they start laying less. She can't be older than three. Aside from the missing backside, she appears to be in decent health.

Well we were gifted them by a family member who no longer wanted to have chickens, they got them for 4H...so don’t know exact age since their daughter who was in 4H is over 18 now.

On the plus side I think she may pull through. I went to check on her a couple hours ago and I’m pretty positive she had been drinking the aspirin water as she was standing in front of the water and there was some water next to it. Also I went and got some real worms from my compost pile and fed them to her, she slurped them up. She ate around 10-12 small to medium worms. I was pretty excited. One day at a time.

 

[HenricksenHenHouse]

Even if she's 'just livestock' she shouldn't have to be in pain so please get her at roost time and look her over for injuries. Post photos and descriptions and we'd be happy to help you treat her.

Hi my name is Rachel and I'm kinda new to this and I'm hoping this post will still get noticed. I just got back from the store and my German Shepherd / marimba I found feathers out of one of my chickens and the other one is dead I'm sitting here holding my other Chicken in front of the heater and she hasn't said anything she's very calm which is kind of scary she's not a comb personality. I can see that there's flesh on her back but her wings are covering it right now I'm worried for her I was hoping maybe because you said you could help the other person that maybe you could help me to I just searched what to do my dog tried to kill my chicken any help would be great I'll post pictures if you want

 

[StinkyAcres]

Hi my name is Rachel and I'm kinda new to this and I'm hoping this post will still get noticed. I just got back from the store and my German Shepherd / marimba I found feathers out of one of my chickens and the other one is dead I'm sitting here holding my other Chicken in front of the heater and she hasn't said anything she's very calm which is kind of scary she's not a comb personality. I can see that there's flesh on her back but her wings are covering it right now I'm worried for her I was hoping maybe because you said you could help the other person that maybe you could help me to I just searched what to do my dog tried to kill my chicken any help would be great I'll post pictures if you want

Welcome! I suggest creating a new thread in the emergencies forum; there are many members standing by to help. Posting pictures and details about her behavior will help us. Keeping the wound clean is important (with something like Vetericyn) and it's a good idea to look over her thoroughly to make sure there aren't more wounds. Chickens are tough animals and heal fast. Hope she recovers!! You've come to the right place!

 

[HenricksenHenHouse]

Welcome! I suggest creating a new thread in the emergencies forum; there are many members standing by to help. Posting pictures and details about her behavior will help us. Keeping the wound clean is important (with something like Vetericyn) and it's a good idea to look over her thoroughly to make sure there aren't more wounds. Chickens are tough animals and heal fast. Hope she recovers!! You've come to the right place!

I just now made a post there thank you so much for responding. Where could I get that Vetericyn stuff what is it?

 

[StinkyAcres]

I just now made a post there thank you so much for responding. Where could I get that Vetericyn stuff what is it?

I get Vetericyn Wound Spray from my local Tractor Supply. But you can use a saline solution as another member has suggested on your thread.

 

[Mbsorting]

I never said she is just livestock, I said she is livestock. There is a difference for me as they are not pets, but I do want to show good husbandry. I know that my feelings of them may not reflect some of the backyard chicken community, but I posted to get help as I do care. Posting in all capitals and giving the solution of killing her when I don’t share the same feelings about my chickens is why I am sure many people have left the site. I am not intending to offend anyone so I hope you, and anyone else who reads this, remembers that although we all might not share the same opinions, we all are chicken owners who are doing the best we can.

Ignor the hoity toity better than everyone else in the world with a chip on her shoulder lady who made the insensitive comment about killing your chicken.
I am going through the same situation with my chickens (2) and find some of these comments very helpful so thank you for asking the question. Also after talking with the vet the person suggesting separation “MurrayAP” is pretty much what my vet advised.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Ignor the hoity toity better than everyone else in the world with a chip on her shoulder lady who made the insensitive comment about killing your chicken.
I am going through the same situation with my chickens (2) and find some of these comments very helpful so thank you for asking the question. Also after talking with the vet the person suggesting separation “MurrayAP” is pretty much what my vet advised.

Being 3 years removed from this situation I can reflect on it better than when I was in the moment. I now have a 4 year old and 18 month old boys. I can say that depending on how crazy life can get now, and if this same situation happened to a chicken now, I may or may not have culled her. I do not for a moment regret treating her. She did heal and went on to live 2 more years before passing all the while laying eggs and contributing to the flock.

What treating her taught me is that I am capable of more than I give myself credit for. I can be brave and use a scalpel to open an infected pus filled wound and spray it out. I can give antibiotics crushed up mixed with water syringe feeding it to a chicken. I know more about inverted vents and how to try my best to correct them. All of these things I learned by taking the time to heal my hen.

Sure I could have culled her and been done with it. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been brave enough to check vents, deworm my chickens, and most recently a few weeks ago use a needle to drain what might be an enlarge right cyst on my other hen. My point being you can always cull a hen and when/if that time comes I now have a better feel for. If I can dedicate the time to healing a chicken though I will because again it is good husbandry and if not then that isn’t and I should cull. The more things I try to heal and the more I come here to learn the more I grow my knowledge and skills for curable or comfort care for my chickens. At the end of the day I am not an avian vet, but the more I invest in learning how to take care of my chickens the better I become at good husbandry for them and that’s all I ever set out to do when I began owning chickens 3 ish years ago.

To anyone that reads this post I hope you find comfort and help with your chickens issues and are able to provide the best husbandry you are able to.

 

[Dianemarie]

Once she is asleep, you should be able to pick her up without much fuss. Even my biggest a-hole rooster will let me handle him at roost time.

If you need to, you can wrap her in a towel to keep her wings immobilized. Some chickens will lay still if you lay them on their back in your lap with something covering her eyes. Since you cannot bring her inside, bring a bright flashlight and look her over outside.

If she shows any signs of stress - like she just won't calm down after a couple of minutes, is breathing hard - put her back in the coop and try again later.

If she isn't too severely injured, do as @MurrayAP suggests. You can keep her in a crate in a room where the dogs do not go. Like the bathroom. She could just be sore and bruised, but you need to know what you're dealing with first.

Please do not put a stressed or injured chickens back in the coop/run. It puts them at risk to me killed by her own flock. Please remove them in a box or crate with a towel in a quiet room with low light. Then access the chicken when she has calmed down.