Hawk got my birds!

[McChooky]

That is unfortunate! I don't understand why he would start all of a sudden! He has never tried before!

Once a dogs killed poultry they're difficult to train. Some people use shock collars to train dogs that have killed poultry(keep your dogs necks shaved so the contacts will touch the skin) Making their housing and run predator proof may be the fastest and least expensive method of protecting them.

 

[_Moon_]

Came home from dinner and one of my hens was on my deck rails at 8pm, WEIRD! I grabbed her and took to coop and realized 2 other hens were missing! I found my sweet Camilla in my shed with her back ripped off down to the meat! She is alive but badly injured. I never found Princess Leia, I am assuming she was carried off! I am hoping she is hiding but I doubt it! I took Camilla inside and cleaned her wound and put Blue Kote and sterile gauze and compression wrap around her wings. I placed in a clean kennel in sunroom with heat to rest and hopefully survive the night! I need advise to know what else to do? Has anyone had a chicken survive a severe back wound? I had my ducks killed several months ago by a hawk as well with one survivor.

My silkie was attacked by a dog, wound was on her rump, and it was so deep you could see the bone. I cleaned it and bandaged it and gave her electrolytes. Thats what i recommend, electrolytes. Because it helps with their shock and stress. But otherwise you did exactly what i would have done.

 

[McChooky]

Hawks can't carry their prey far .There will be a halo of feathers where they kill them and rip feathers out before they eat them. They'll also tear the flesh into small pieces to carry it easier back to the nest.

Hawks will kill one and eat part of it there then carry the rest to their nest to eat later .They make several trips.If you have multiple birds injured ir killed and missing it's rarely a hawk.

 

[McPickle88]

Camilla, the badly injured one, has her whole back skin ripped off and Princess Leia has a small claw wound I think. I think the hawk tried to get Princess and she got away and then maybe had Camilla and my rooster scared it off. IDK. I am so discouraged and the whole reason we got Apollo, dog, is to protect the birds! My husband is very upset! I love my dog though but I am very frustrated. But, I know he is just being a dog!

 

[McPickle88]

Day 5:

Camilla is still alive and no infection that I see, no smell and she is up and moving around and eating and drinking! She even slept out of kennel last night. She roosted on the shelf with Princess Leia! That is a great sign. Her wound is still nasty and will be for a hot minute since it is down to the meat. My husband tells people it reminds him of a tyson chicken in the store. lol

Princess Leia is doing great as well! her wound is almost gone already but going to keep her inside a little while longer till her feather start to come back. She even laid an egg today! WOO!!!

 

[sourland]

How old is the dog? Even LGD need to be mature before they can be trusted around fowl/animals.

 

[The WinterWolf]

Camilla, the badly injured one, has her whole back skin ripped off and Princess Leia has a small claw wound I think. I think the hawk tried to get Princess and she got away and then maybe had Camilla and my rooster scared it off. IDK. I am so discouraged and the whole reason we got Apollo, dog, is to protect the birds! My husband is very upset! I love my dog though but I am very frustrated. But, I know he is just being a dog!

at least you had the rooster. (never thought i'd say that)

 

[esme13]

Day 5:

Camilla is still alive and no infection that I see, no smell and she is up and moving around and eating and drinking! She even slept out of kennel last night. She roosted on the shelf with Princess Leia! That is a great sign. Her wound is still nasty and will be for a hot minute since it is down to the meat. My husband tells people it reminds him of a tyson chicken in the store. lol

Princess Leia is doing great as well! her wound is almost gone already but going to keep her inside a little while longer till her feather start to come back. She even laid an egg today! WOO!!!

I’m very happy that your two hens are improving !! As for the dog incident, it’s an instinct that can kick in any dog. Maybe the chicken started running and it excited the dog as a toy. I know my dogs are good, but when I’ve had to catch a chicken and they see that chicken running away, their instincts kick in and they are chasing them. Dogs can understand right and wrong , they are smart. Work on the dog and keep an eye when they are all free ranging. They can adapt, it’s a process.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

***UPDATE***

Well...... We think it was the dog! We have a 5 month Anatolian Pyrenees that has been out with them for several months and never harmed them.

Yesterday my neighbor called and said that my dog was killing one of my chickens so I rushed home to save her. It was Princess Leia that was slightly injured but able to be outside, so I thought! He ripped out some of her feathers and she is ok. We have put her inside with Camilla the badly injured chicken but they are separate for now till Camilla has scabbed over and I can put a sweater on her.

WELL TODAY WE GOT HOME AND ONE OF MY HENS WAS DEAD IN MY YARD!
Her neck was snapped and chucks were missing! I don't understand! We have now pinned up the rest of our flock and our duck. We are looking into how to properly train the dog to not hurt the chickens and try to build a budget friendly run. I don't want to keep them locked in the small one we have now.

Anyone have any advise or experienced this? I need tips on what to do! I had a hawk kill 3 of my ducks and that is why we got the dog!

The dog in my avatar is also 1/2 Pyrenese and 1/2 Anatolian Shepherd. Just as people tragically make the mistake of thinking chicken wire will protect their chickens, many similiarly think a classic lgd breed will naturally protect their chickens. The classic lgd breeds typically have a lower prey drive and higher territorial instincts than other breeds. But lgd breeds are still Dogs, & yours is still a puppy, with normal puppy behaviors and instincts.

It May not be too late to train your teen-aged pup to be trustworthy around your poultry, but will now take more time and training than if he had never attacked those "squawky, flappy running "toys" in the first place.

With your pup, you will need to start from the very beginning, doing what needed to be done when he was 7-8 weeks old. 1) Absolutely no unsupervised exposure to the chickens. 2) Absolutely no exposure to chickens unless he is leashed and under your control. 3) At all times, watch and observe the pup's behavior and interest toward the chickens. Immediately give a firm reprimand if he shows any interest in the chickens whatsoever. Be 100% consistent with your training. You want to teach him to completely ignore their squawking, flapping and all other typical chicken behaviors.

Since you are now training a pup that has experienced the thrill of the chicken chase, it's going to take more supervision and Time. He needs a secure separate fence where he can see but not get at the chickens. If he tries to chase/reach them through his fence, he should be completely removed from their presence unless you are present to take the training steps listed above. If he continues to try to reach them despite his separate fencing & your reprimands, he may never be trustworthy around your chickens. But you will never know unless you try. And he needs time to outgrow his "puppy-ness."

There is hope that with time and consistent training, along with the fact he is a classic lgd breed cross, he can eventually be trained. Good luck and im glad to know your hurt hens are healing ok.

 

[McPickle88]

Thank you so much!!!! I will try this! We have the separated now and going to build a larger run for them. I only let him out with them when I am present. Thanks again for the advise.