HELP! My chicken was attacked by my dog!

[Hazzard]

I am new to the site and I was told to come here! My chicken last week flew over the fence and was attacked by my dog. She received a big, deep gash in the bottom of her back! She is laying perfectly fine ad she is reacting fine apart from the fact that she doesn't sleep where she usually sleeps; she doesn't sleep on the roosting sticks like the other 3, she sleeps in the nesting box. At the moment, she is having vitamins in her food and water. Also, most of her tail feathers are gone What should I do?! Thank you! (She is the white one!)

 

[EastViewChooks]

Hello - I'm new to the site as well, but thought I'd share what little experience I have!

My dog did the same to one of mine and she ended up with no skin on her back and two very deep gashes that I missed initially, and the poor thing became a host for maggots (ewww). She also stopped sitting on the perch and took to the nesting box - it may be because it's too awkward for them to roost, or it could be that they feel safer in the confines of a nesting box, or it could be that she's keeping out of the way of the other chickens, who seem to like raw flesh and may peck at her - chickens will hide away and try to act normally to avoid being singled out as a weakling by the other chickens. I would recommend you really check her out to ensure there are no hidden wounds and make sure all wounds are flushed out with triscrub and/or iodine and warm water. Once she is really clean, spray her wounds either with the spray-on plaster that you can get in a normal chemist (to keep the wound clean) or if you want a punk chicken (like I did) you can use the purple spray (gentian) that seals the wound - but be warned, it stays on the chicken for ages, and stains whatever it comes into contact with. Not so good when my 6 year old thought it would be good to try out on the fence, climbing frame, skateboard etc etc, but it really helped my chook to keep the wound clean, and having a funky purple chicken is a talking point!

The fact that she's still laying is a good sign - she can't be too beaten up or shocked. I found a number of stories of very resilient chickens when mine got injured and was genuinely amazed at how these little things seem to survive quite horrendous injuries!

Definitely keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't suffer from losing her place in the pecking order and gets sufficient food. Poultry spice or a nutritional supplement may help her with recovering from the shock. As I said above, wounded/sick birds tend to hide away from the others. I found they will also fluff up their feathers to make themselves look bigger than they actually are, and by the time you notice they are suffering, they can be too far gone, so check on her regularly.

Hope she's on the mend soon.

 

[Silkies4life]

Unfortunatley I have had injured chickens due to dog attacks. It's fine that she wants to stay in the nesting box. Usually they like a darker safe place after an injury. Keep the food and water available and check all wounds daily. Make sure no other chicken is pecking at the wounds, they will do that sometimes. You can get a salve at the feed store to put on the wounds to keep them from getting infected. I don't know all of the do's and don'ts but I know you should not get anything with lidacaine or any type of pain killer in it as these can harm the chickens. Most salves with also help keep flies from laying eggs. I wish I could help more, hopefully someone with a lot of experience with reply as well.

 

[Hazzard]

Thank you very much!!!