Dog attacked chicken!!

[jonesiegirl]

My dog attacked one of my chickens! Shes a barred rock only 3 1/2 months old. Shes hurt definately but I cant tell what. She doesn't want to move but she will if she needs to. I gave her a seperate tub of water and some hardboiled eggs. Pretty sure she has a broken leg but right now she just seems shaken up and sore all over. Shes our "flock leader"... idk I'm new to this but I don't want to lose her because she is my favorite. What do I do??

 

[klmclain1]

My mother's dog attacked my girls awhile back. They were all (7 of them) in somewhat of a state of shock for the rest of the day. It was awful and feathers were everywhere! When all was said and done, two of them were actually injured - one had all it's tail feathers ripped out (it was really raw and I considered that an injury), and the other had a significant limp for about 6 weeks. I sprayed the area with ripped out feathers with blukote to prevent the others from picking and anything else that might happen. In your case, if you think it's broken, you'll need to set it soon. Others here have done it before and used various things. I've heard of using things like popsicle sticks and vetwrap (which I find is amazing stuff!). You can also dissolve aspirin in water and give it to her for pain. Do searches for both on here. Poor babies..they're so terrified after something like this!

 

[beautifulbirds]

I had a chicken badly bitten by a dog about six weeks ago and she has almost fully recovered, based on that experience this is what I recommend. Check that she has no open wounds anywhere on her body. If she does then these need attending to immediately. (Open wounds: swap with antiseptic and water solution - I use dettol in warm water - dry off with clean towel, sprinkle liberally with turmeric powder and leave uncovered. This will keep the flies away and allow the wound to heal naturally. She will look oddly coloured but don't worry about that. Ground Turmeric powder from the spice section of your supermarket will do fine.) If she has eaten and had something to drink then put her into a cardboard box, close the flaps and put a towel over it. She will be in shock and she needs rest and quiet. Tomorrow, you need to place her in a separate area, so the others can't attack her because she is 'down' or use stand-over tactics and take all her food. I kept mine with the flock during the day but brought her inside at night and put her in a cardboard box with a towel over it at night. You need to keep her warm and well-fed. If the leg is broken get it splinted by a vet. Don't give her any strong meds that may upset her delicate digestion system; natural remedies are best for chickens. Give her chopped up greens, chopped tomatoe, chopped cucumber (especially good), meat or fish, wheat and put a vitamin supplement in her water for good measure. Keep the food up and the stress down. I constructed a temporary 'run' or cage in the middle of the flock by placing a large strong wooden box (for shelter in wet weather) on the ground and running a temporary roll of tall wire mesh around some four foot high metal stakes that I had driven into the ground. The flock continued to eat and socialise around her, she wasn't lonely but was out of harms way. On a wet day I kept her under cover, one day it was so bad that I kept her indoors most of the day and fed her in a cat cage and because it was only a twenty four hour period of really bad rain it did her no harm. Your hen doesn't need meds or antibiotics, use herbs and lots of good, healthy food to get her better; it's the BEST way for chickens. Mine is now almost fully feathered, her wounds have healed up remarkably well and all I used was the Turmeric powder after I had disenfected the wound area. The dog took a good gouge out of her back and she had deep incisor wounds under her wings but you would never know it to look at her now.

 

[jonesiegirl]

thank you guys! this morning i walked out and she was walking around outside perfectly fine! but, i just came home from school and went to check on her and she was laying in my coop dead

. im assuming it was internal bleeding.. **** dog. my other chickens seem stirred up and there all shocked from the dog getting out (i wouldn't blame them) but thanks for your info. i will use it in the future (im hoping i wont have to but my dog is very inpredictable)

i buried her in my woods, very upsetting, she was my favorite and head of the flock! but, now i know and i gotta lock up my dog next time. thanks again!

 

[allieloveschickens]

sorry for your loss my dog killed one of my chickens "playing" with her while I was out of town last year, with some training and discipline he now ignores the girls, but it was very hard to go through. I hope that the rest of your chickies stay safe!

 

[klmclain1]

So sorry Jonesiegirl...I think dogs just get so excited with the "new toy"! Don't be too angry with him, he didn't know better. Maybe some aversion training will help. That or you'll just have to make sure they don't every interact. Hugs to you!

 

[BlazeJester]

I'm sorry for your loss. After my neighbor's dog got loose and made a beeline for our chickens (we don't have a fence), I was fortunate to have my girl survive and start laying just a few weeks later.

Unfortunately, dogs are predators and chickens are prey. The chicken area should be absolutely predator proof, including against dogs - coyotes are a big problem in many areas of the country as well as domesticated dogs. It is your responsibility as a dog owner to control your animal, and as a chicken owner to protect your flock. I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way.

 

[mbfarms]

Hi. I just saw your dog - attack thread. My newly adopted dog grabbed on of our chickens today in his mouth. He eventually let her go and she ran away but is now breathing witha gurgle. I'm afraid he did some internal damage. At any rate, I'm interested in your dog training methods. We've been exposing the dog to the chickens on a leash when they are free-range, and off-lead when they are contained. Been treating him liberally when he behaves nicely. We start training wth him on sunday, but I'm wondering if you have some tips in the meantime?

 

[puna hens]

sorry for the loss of your little hen~
we too have had stray dogs get into our fenced yard (they found a spot to jump over which we fixed) and attack our girls. One in particular. Her tail feathers were ripped out and her leg and wing broken. She was very shaken. It has been two weeks now and she is getting better by the day. She isolated herself from the flock for three days...in a nesting box. Her comb is still a bit pale but all in all she is doing fine.
Will her tail feathers ever some back?

 

[Bunnett]

Help! My little pekin flew out of her yard and then over the fence to the digs yard and I walked outside just in time to see the dog playing with her.

horrifying!
Symptoms- mostly sleeping. Can't walk properly. Keeps opening and closing her beak. Has drunk a little when I have helped her, but hasn't eaten.
I am devastated!!! So is my son. We have her inside in the warm, but at a loss as to what else to do.