Dog hurt my chicken and now the other chickens are attacking hurt chic

[djlawson2]

Our dog playfully chased and got our chicken. The dog chewed some of the feathers but other than the chicken being scared half to death she is unharmed. Problem is that the other chickens are starting to jump on the chicken and attacking her. Why is this, and how can I stop it. No blood was drawn so I am not sure why they are doing this except that she is now seen as weak and vulnerable?

 

[chicmom]

Chickens can pick up on weakness and they really do get ruthless sometimes. You may need to separate that chicken from the rest so that it can recuperate. It might be a little stressed out from the dog attack, and they're picking up on those vibes.

Good luck!
Sharon

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Number one---she smells like dog spit

Secondly, the other chickens can probably "sense" something is wrong with her due to her change in behavior, and they ALWAYS go after the one with something wrong.
I'd probably bathe her (better chance to check for injuries), dry her well, and isolate her for a couple of days.

Good luck

 

[arch_cpj]

seperate her till she gets her strength back and then put her back in with some no peck on her... probably a good 2 days some vitamin water maybe too... USE a pet carrier or a big box...

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Chickens have a very weak sense of smell. I doubt that they smell the dog on her. They are attacking because she is injured. Separate her until she is better. I wouldn't worry about a bath with the exception of cleaning wounds.

 

[djlawson2]

Thanks for all the good advice. She is separated and doing fine. Once she's better and reintroduced will she be picked on again?

 

[theFox]

Quote:
This all depends upon her and her former flock mates. This is why she must be at full strength when put back in.

Make certain to put her back on a roost in the coop after dark, and despite the chickens have a poor sense of smell folks if you put a bit of the litter from the coop on her before she is placed on the roost things will go a bit better for her. As always when integrating any "new" bird into a flock you need to keep a good eye on things.

You can help matters even further if you have a buddy for your injured bird that you can keep with her and put back into the coop with her at the same time.