Dogs got to my friends hens...

[WyoChickenMamma]

She has the other half of the flock that I have, a mix of some older hens and a few pullets. Tonight she came home to a sea of feathers all over her property and chickens just in various states of injury and shock all over her 20 acres. We managed to find them all and get them back to the coop. It seems that of the 20 hens, two have some torn skin and a few puncture wounds to meaty parts of their backs and sides. We cleaned them up as good as we can, and I have them in my garage in a crate. At first we thought we were going to have to dispatch them, but after closer inspection, I think if they make it through the night they could be okay. One of them is not wanting to put weight down on her right leg, but it doesn't feel like she has any broken bones, but she could have pulled muscles or ligaments in her attempt to get away. We found her under a bucket, behind a saddle in the barn. The bucket probably fell on her and saved her life.

My heart just aches for them...it must have been pure chaos and torture. I will post again in the morning with an update on the two that are here at my house. I told her of the SSS method and she said she was going to get her gun loaded and ready, as she thinks they will be back again tomorrow.

 

[allieloveschickens]

So sorry for your friend's chickens

I hope the injured ones recover, chickens are quite resiliant, as long as you keep their wounds clean, and keep them warm they will probably pull through. Hopefully there aren't any internal injuries. When my chicken was scalped I used an anti-bacterial saline wash I got at the drug store, worked really well to get all the grime she managed to get stuck to her head cleaned off. Sending you and the hens positive thoughts!

 

[CapricornFarm]

OMG , I am so sorry to hear about that! I have been there too, and it is just so senseless. Why can people not keep their bleeping dogs on their own property? Antibiotic ointment with no pain killers on the wounds, electrolytes vitamins and maybe a bit of sugar or molasses in the water might perk them up and help them combat the shock . Hope they do ok. Most of mine were killed during the attack, had only 2 survivors that we found later. Yes, likely those dogs would benefit from lead therapy. Sorry about your friends chickens getting attacked:-(

 

[MassivelyScrambled]

Man this story is gut wrenching! Sorry to hear this....Dogs will come back once they get the taste of chicken in their mouth. My father shot our dog after it was caught running out of the farmers chicken coup at dusk one evening. The dogs will likely be back.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I thought my day was bad after I found one of my hens dead in the coop this morning, but I think she just died peacefully in her sleep. These poor girls were just tortured. It is just senseless and the neighbors need to keep their dogs contained!

 

[nzpouter]

Quote:
good luck, they usually return to the scene of the crime when they know there's fun to be had...

 

[feliciamckee]

Do you know the dog? Same thing happened to me and I caught the dog (a giant huskey) and called animal control. I knew where the dog lived and the owners had to pay. I thought my roo was not going to live. His wounds were terrible but he made it and is almost back to normal. Watch for infection. The skin around his wound started turning green so I gave him a shot of pennicilin. It worked wonders. I also kept it as clean as I could. Hope they are ok.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Quote:
They do not know, they were not home, but must have gotten home right after it happened, or them pulling into their drive scared the dogs away. There had to be at least 2, as there were multiple sets of prints and literally there were feathers from one of their 20 acres to the other and every where in between. She has an idea of which house the dog came from, the lady even told her about a month ago that he dogs loved to chase chickens and that as soon as her dogs realized she had chickens to be aware that her dogs would be over there. There is a guy down the road who has hounds, but she called him, and he is in another town with his dogs on vacation. So more than likely it was the lady across the way. We live where there are at least 20 acres between houses, so many people can't see their neighbors house. I am still all for the SSS method of dealing with them if they come back.

 

[Mattemma]

If the lady neighbor knew her dogs would be over to chase(and kill) then she will not care that they actually did.AC the dogs or SSS them without a word to the owner.Dogs that roam disappear all the time.That is the risk owners take when they allow roaming.Just like we take a risk to free range.

 

[feliciamckee]

Ok I guess I have not been on here long enough to know what the SSS method is. I will assume one of the s's stands for Shoot? Someone please enlighten me.

As for the law here in TN, I was told directly by the animal control officer that I have every right to shoot that dog if he comes back on my property. He said to just make sure you shoot to kill, then call him and he will call the owners and tell them to come and get their dead dog. I love all animals, but I would protect my kids, chickens and property and not lose any sleep over it. If that neighbor told me to expect his dogs in my yard, I would tell him to go ahead and dig there graves now...I will be watching for them!