Help! dog attacked my chicken! :(

[mandymae1984]

Still hanging in there still swollen but eating the eggs and mash well drinking well still sleeping alot

 

[mandymae1984]

Thought about bathing her whats the best thing to use for that

 

[mandymae1984]

Shes doing bettertoday her neck is still crooked and bruised but she has more energy and ate more today walked around and clucked at me when i talked to her today we usually have daily conversations

 

[Curlywurly91]

Hi all, I'm sorry for barging in on your thread, I'm not sure how to start a new one! But I really need some advice regarding a dog attack.
Yesterday in an accident involving young children and gates being left open, my German shepherd got a hold of our ginger nut ranger, pecky becky. He had her with his front teeth in the middle of her back and was shaking her. We got her out of his mouth and she scurried away and tried to hide her head. Looking at her, her feathers are a mess and a few are missing but there are no obvious injuries. I tried looking for puncture wounds but she kept running away and was obviously in shock so I didn't want to stress her further. I put her in the coop and she stayed in the nest box all day. She can walk fine, move her neck and is eating and drinking, and this morning when I let the other girls out, she has ventured into the adjoining run. She is eating her normal food pellets but is definitely still shaken and keeps sitting with her eyes shut. She also has watery poo and I'm worried her wings maybe broken as she is holding them slightly lower than normal, but still tucked up. Is there anything else I can do? How would I know if she has a broken wing? And I have read I should separate her but I haven't seen the other girls picking in her so I'm torn! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Kyzmette]

The OP asked about pain meds... you can give chickens aspirin ground up and sprinkled on their food. Just make sure they're not bleeding. You can also give them tramadol, but that's prescription.

Due to a demonic dachsund owned by a neighbor, I have dealt with multiple dog attacks. I try to always separate, and for me that means bringing it inside and keeping it in a plastic tub for observation, at least overnight. Put some hay or shavings in the bottom.

I also fashioned feed and water containers out of plastic cups, like sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. Make a u-shaped cutout, because you don't want them to be very deep, so leave them able to hold 1 1/2 to 2 inches food or water. In the back of the cup, pierce it with baling wire from one side to the next so that you can bend the wire to hang over the side of the tub. Make the wire fairly long, because you want to be able to adjust the height. A bird with a neck injury will eat more if it has to bend its neck less. If you need to picture it, it looks kind of like a swing chair. Birds who have pain in their neck won't bend it to eat as much as they need to, so feeder height is important.

If you have lost skin, neosporin works, but vetericyn is best, same for puncture wounds. It's pricey, though, and should be at your feedstore. You might find it for less online, but that won't help right now. If you go for neosporin, see if you can find a spray-on.

Feed extra protein, like mashed egg and yogurt. If you give antibiotics, they'll need yogurt afterward to rebalance their digestive health, and if they won't eat it, you can get probiotics at the feed store. Give them extra vitamins like a poultry drench from the feed store, or poly-vi-sol infant vitamins without iron from the pharmacy section at your grocery store.

I have some chickens who have had some pretty massive damage, and they're healthy, happy and productive today. If you have questions about specific injuries, give plenty of details and I'm sure somebody here can help.

 

[mandymae1984]

Not sure how to tell if the wing is broken for sure but mine held her wings low at first too i thought hers were broken but now im sure they arent maybe just from the pain or shock? I separated my hen and like the post above said i always keep mine in a plastic tub as well and inside a quiet room in my home for a few days. I have been feeding mine scrambled eggs as shee seemed to like it better than boiled. She would probably enjoy being separated for a little while so she knows she is secured from all things

 

[mandymae1984]

Also been giving her yogurt its like a treat for her she loves it!

 

[mandymae1984]

If she does have any wounds you need to check for them it could easily get infected if they are deep or if they are bleeding the others will peck at it and make it worse hope she gets better soon!

 

[Curlywurly91]

Hi all, thank you for your advice! I have checked her well all over every day and I can't see any blood, cuts or anything! I'm thinking we have been very lucky and managed to catch the dog before he had got his teeth into her. she is much better every day, I've left her with the other hens because she seems to enjoy being with them and I have 2 naughty house cats that I know would cause her more stress. I keep checking her wings and I'm thinking they might not be broken, just the stress and pain like you say, they aren't dragging, just sitting lower and when I unfold them, they fold straight back in. She does seem to make a fuss when I touch her right wing so I think she may have sprained it, I've tucked her wings up properly and secured them with a pair of tights until I can get some proper vet dressing later today, she seems to have perked up even more with that! The only other problem is her vent is a bit dirty so I've been cleaning that up too. Apart from that, she is eating and drinking fine and she can move her neck and walk as well as the others. She's still a bit quiet but I expect that after what she's been through!

 

[mandymae1984]

So glad shes doing better!!