Help, chicken attacked by dog.

[Familyfarm47]

So first off, I know that my dog is the problem. But she is 13 and a cocker spaniel.
So I came home today to find one of my chickens out of the coop. My Cocker was pulling feathers from her neck and had probably been doing it for a while because of the amount of feathers. I immediately got her away and picked up the hen. She is an easter egger. She isn't actively bleeding but you can see her flesh and the skin has been opened along the back of her neck. I have her in a room in the house that the dogs can't reach. She is in a box with food and water. I don't know what to do about the back of her neck. The other areas look okay just without feathers. Its just her neck area. Any suggestions. Should I just watch her. She is acting okay. But not interested in eating just yet. She has food and water. Should I try and use some antibiotic spray? Please help. Thanks.

Wow. The exact thing just happened to my 2 year old barred rock today. I have her coated in bacitracin and resting in a box in the house. She got up and tried to roost on my daughter's desk. I think she could make it. I will read the rest. I am also deep in teh middle of a hatch!!! no sleep for the weary

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Wow. The exact thing just happened to my 2 year old barred rock today. I have her coated in bacitracin and resting in a box in the house. She got up and tried to roost on my daughter's desk. I think she could make it. I will read the rest. I am also deep in teh middle of a hatch!!! no sleep for the weary

Oh No! So sorry to hear about your girl. Yes, please do read this thread, there's some good information here.

The main thing would be to clean her wounds, the Bacitracin is fine to use to cover the wounds. Her moving around and wanting to roost on the desk sounds like a positive
sign Keep her drinking and eating.

 

[Familyfarm47]

oh man she was doing so well. eating and drinking and soaking up some sun. but she started pooping a bunch of white stuff and slowly stopped eating and drinking and now is lethargic. any advice?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

oh man she was doing so well. eating and drinking and soaking up some sun. but she started pooping a bunch of white stuff and slowly stopped eating and drinking and now is lethargic. any advice?

Have her wounds become infected? Do you have any photos?

 

[getaclue]

Infection? Too much sun? Change in diet? Mites? Sour Crop?

 

[getaclue]

Check your bird over real good. Is her crop emptying out each morning? Does her wound look, or smell infected? One of the most recent changes was putting her out in the sun. Keep her inside for a few days. Since she was outside, check her over for mites/lice. Has she returned to laying? Could she be egg bound? Pictures would be a good thing.

 

[mar]

X2 Agreed. She needs more time.

She may enjoy being crated and placed out side in the grass near the other chickens, for some sunshine fresh air. (if your weather is agreeable).

Just a note - her wounds are healing nicely from what I can see. I understand you are wanting her out (she probably wants out too! LOL)

She is doing really good now. But now she is making a huge mess in her box. She's knocked over her water every day trying to scratch in the pine shavings. So now I have a moldy cardboard box. I'm thinking of putting her out in a quarantined area with her own coop. Only thing is her head is still unfeathered. If I provide a heat source for her out there do you think she will be okay. We just had a cold snap and more snow is coming. I'm worried that she's getting used to the warm temperatures in the house. I can't move her to my garage because my dogs have access to the garage.

 

[getaclue]

Don't leave her in a moldy box. That's not healthy for several reasons. Yes, if you can section of a portion of the coop for her, then put her out there. Just be sure to keep applying the neosporin several times a day, since she will be exposed to more dirt, and you still are trying to prevent infection.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is doing really good now. But now she is making a huge mess in her box. She's knocked over her water every day trying to scratch in the pine shavings. So now I have a moldy cardboard box. I'm thinking of putting her out in a quarantined area with her own coop. Only thing is her head is still unfeathered. If I provide a heat source for her out there do you think she will be okay. We just had a cold snap and more snow is coming. I'm worried that she's getting used to the warm temperatures in the house. I can't move her to my garage because my dogs have access to the garage.

Sounds like she is doing good.
I agree with @getaclue the box has got to go if it's moldy.
If you have a safe place to put her outside, then give that a try. I think you would be wise to provide a heat source for her if your weather is still cold/snowy. Do you have a place where you can safely do that? Heat lamps can be risky to use, so great care must be taken. Also remember to look at your heat lamp packing for any indication/warning labels about teflon. Most are marked not to be used with poultry.

The other alternative is find another box or a large dog kennel to keep her in until the weather turns. She's probably a bit bored.

 

[getaclue]

If you're going to move it to a separate section in the coop, a large plastic tote, with an opening cut into one end, and a bit of hay inside it, should do nicely as a warm place for it to stay at night.