- Mar 8, 2011
- 3
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Hi,
I have a 6 month old barred rock hen that my dog attacked today. This is not the first time the dog has tried to get one of the chickens, but the first time she has been successful. The birds are in a coop at night and in an enclosed pasture with predator fencing during the day. This girl has been more adventurous of late, and must have jumped the fence. The dog was wearing a muzzle, which I insisted on ever since she grabbed one of the other hens a few weeks ago. I usually won't let the chicks and dog out at the same time, but today the dog had been inside while we were away, so I put the muzzle on and let her out.
From the looks of things, she pawed at the chicken repeatedly, so the hen's back is red (but not bleeding) and feather free. a 6 inch portion of red flesh is exposed on her back and wing. She is moving around, eating and drinking just fine. I am not sure what to do for her now, though. I am worried about infection, as she does not seem to have injuries beyond the obvious--she is moving without trouble and ran right up to use to get some food (I give them treats each night when the go into their coop).
Relevant info from the list in the emergency forum:
1)What type of bird , age and weight. Barred ROck, 6 months, 6 lbs, maybe?
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Injured by dog, definitely not bitten, but pawed and feathers removed.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? happened in the last two hours
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? n/a
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. just the raw, exposed skin on the back and wing
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. see above
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. interested in both food and water
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? rescued her from the dog, offered food and water, secured her in the coop.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I don't know if we have a chicken vet--would prefer to treat at home if possible, but willing to vet if needed.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Any help would be greatly appreciated. The birds are pets; this one is particularly adored by the kids, so we really want to do everything we can to help her.
I have a 6 month old barred rock hen that my dog attacked today. This is not the first time the dog has tried to get one of the chickens, but the first time she has been successful. The birds are in a coop at night and in an enclosed pasture with predator fencing during the day. This girl has been more adventurous of late, and must have jumped the fence. The dog was wearing a muzzle, which I insisted on ever since she grabbed one of the other hens a few weeks ago. I usually won't let the chicks and dog out at the same time, but today the dog had been inside while we were away, so I put the muzzle on and let her out.
From the looks of things, she pawed at the chicken repeatedly, so the hen's back is red (but not bleeding) and feather free. a 6 inch portion of red flesh is exposed on her back and wing. She is moving around, eating and drinking just fine. I am not sure what to do for her now, though. I am worried about infection, as she does not seem to have injuries beyond the obvious--she is moving without trouble and ran right up to use to get some food (I give them treats each night when the go into their coop).
Relevant info from the list in the emergency forum:
1)What type of bird , age and weight. Barred ROck, 6 months, 6 lbs, maybe?
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Injured by dog, definitely not bitten, but pawed and feathers removed.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? happened in the last two hours
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? n/a
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. just the raw, exposed skin on the back and wing
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. see above
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. interested in both food and water
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? rescued her from the dog, offered food and water, secured her in the coop.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I don't know if we have a chicken vet--would prefer to treat at home if possible, but willing to vet if needed.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Any help would be greatly appreciated. The birds are pets; this one is particularly adored by the kids, so we really want to do everything we can to help her.
