Dog attacked my hen

[edellefemine]

my neighbors dog. we let our ladies freerange and this one decided to go over the fence today... it hasn't been an issue till now, so i guess i need to either keep them locked up or raise the fence even higher.

 

[Acre4Me]

I'm sorry she passed away!

Now you have some items on hand if there are any other injuries - even bumblefoot can need treatment at times.

When we have had a chicken pass away, we have put in a freezer to then go out with the garbage. We do not have any place to reasonably bury an animal. We do not want to attract an animal close to our place to eat the carcass, but if you have a friend with some woods or land, you can ask if you can put the carcass in their woods if you would rather she contribute to the food chain.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you all so much. Just got back from the store and as I was preparing to clean further with the wound wash, she started to seizure and has since passed in my arms. This sucks

Sorry to hear that

 

[feather13]

So sorry to hear this! A stray husky got into our coop a few years ago and killed/injured some of our birds. We live in the suburbs and it's really upsetting when people don't keep their dogs and cats in their yards. The ASPCA was able to find the dog and impound it after it bit my daughter. Have you confronted your neighbor? Sounds like they need to do a better job of keeping their dog in the house or in a kennel in the yard.

 

[DaisyG2317]

I'm so sorry about your sweet girl

 

[edellefemine]

So sorry to hear this! A stray husky got into our coop a few years ago and killed/injured some of our birds. We live in the suburbs and it's really upsetting when people don't keep their dogs and cats in their yards. The ASPCA was able to find the dog and impound it after it bit my daughter. Have you confronted your neighbor? Sounds like they need to do a better job of keeping their dog in the house or in a kennel in the yard.

Funny enough, my neighbor's dog is a husky well. An incredibly friendly dog, only a bit more then a year old...I really can't blame her, its what dogs do. It was my chicken that got adventurous and found its way into her yard... so i really can only blame myself for not keeping them in the run or not securing the fencing enough in that area to prevent her from going over.

I'm in the suburbs as well so our yards are big but fenced in. There's no way I could expect them to keep the dog any more secured such as a kennel... if she came over to my yard, like she did quite a lot as a puppy before I put up better fencing - then it'd be a different story...

I am destroyed still. I was so hopeful she was going to be ok. I was able to get her away from the dog and brought her back to my yard. You could see the deep wounds in those photos... but she was alive and fighting... she even tried to get up a couple times but you could see she was just fighting to stay alive. When I returned from the store, she was having seizures as if she was fiding hard to breathe. I'm guessing it was her organs/heart failing... I really hope the 45 min or so it took me to properly clean the wound didn't cause some type of infection that she may of otherwise healed from. I dunno. She took a few last big breathes in my arms as she whipped her head back and forth and then passed away while I held her. It really really sucks.

thank you all for your kind words and quick replies. I'm still new to this and while I'm not naive to how often these birds are considered food, even by myself as a meat eater... its just different when you raise them from a week old chick... they grew up indoors with me for much longer then normal due to the time it took for me to complete their coop. It's been a very personal relationship and it hurts a lot to have this happen like this. I guess I just need to vent, so sorry for the emotional post and thank you again for being awesome.

 

[feather13]

It was my chicken that got adventurous and found its way into her yard... so i really can only blame myself for not keeping them in the run or not securing the fencing enough in that area to prevent her from going over.

Oh sorry, I misunderstood. I thought the neighbor's dog had come into your yard. Still, it's really sad. Our chickens are pets, too, and when the stray dog killed our beautiful Welsummer and Dominique and injured our Black Star, it was devastating. Your chick knew you since she was tiny and it must have been comforting to have you near when she passed. You also tried your best to treat her wounds and keep her alive.

Our chickens used to fly over a high fence into the neighbor's yard (who, thankfully, didn't have dogs) until I clipped their wings. There are all kinds of links and videos on how to do this. I only clipped their wings once, years and years ago, but it got them out of the habit and they haven't flown over the fence since. This might be an option to keep the chickens from your neighbor's yard, especially since the dog might be eager to get more.

 

[edellefemine]

great suggestion, i hadn't even heard of this until now. I'll be doing that as well as getting a bit more of the taller critterfence to help keep them all away from that area.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I really hope the 45 min or so it took me to properly clean the wound didn't cause some type of infection that she may of otherwise healed from.

No, infection would not have set in that quickly. There is most likely nothing you could have done So sorry that she didn't make it.

 

[Folly's place]

So very sorry for your bird. It's so hard sometimes!
Higher fencing, yes, and your survivors may be more careful in the future too. Make sure there's no way this dog can get into your yard, either over or under your fence.
Mary