Dog got my hen

[Chickaletta8]

I feel like a terrible parent! I called myself watching the flock and I looked away a second and one of my girls was in my dogs mouth. She has a puncture wound and a 1" piece of skin is torn. I plan to keep her confined in a dry clean place and wash it and put neosporin on the wound 2x a day. Any and all tips appreciated.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I feel like a terrible parent! I called myself watching the flock and I looked away a second and one of my girls was in my dogs mouth. She has a puncture wound and a 1" piece of skin is torn. I plan to keep her confined in a dry clean place and wash it and put neosporin on the wound 2x a day. Any and all tips appreciated.

You aren't a terrible parent - the fact is that one second is all the time it takes. You are on the right track - keep her calm and quiet and the wound clean - monitor for infection. Chickens are incredibly resilient and recover surprisingly quickly from this sort of thing. Now that you know how quickly this sort of thing can happen and how even the seemingly most 'chicken friendly' dog can still be a dog, adjust your management accordingly and you can avoid a repeat situation.

 

[Chickaletta8]

Thank you so much. It was a terrible experience, one that I will not repeat. She is in the garage, in a large dog kennel. For now she is quite calm. I worry that while confined that she wont eat or drink.