Help! My dog just attacked my chicken through the fence and the top part of her beak came off!

[5crazies]

It happened so fast! Has anyone every had this happen before? She is bleeding but not too badly. She seems okay other than the beak. I am worried that she won't be able to eat. Will it grow back?

 

[chicknmania]

Ouch. It might grow back, but I'll be surprised if she can eat. If you want to try to save her, you can tube feed her for a while, just to see. There are lots of instructions on here and on line about how to do that. Maybe, before you tube feed her, see how she does with some soft food, like bread crumbs soaked in buttermilk, or applesauce, or scrambled eggs. If she can eat those, that would be great, and the beak might grow back enough for her to eat, but obviously it will take a while.

 

[5crazies]

Thank you. I will try some soft food.
I am absolutely heartbroken that this happened. My husband thinks she will not survive and will need to be culled.

Here's a closer picture of the damage.

 

[5crazies]

And here's the piece of her beak that I found in the yard.

 

[5crazies]

I've been watching her and she is eating. It seems like she is able to get the food to stick to her tongue.

 

[Abriana]

How sad, the poor hen! I agree that you should try to save her, especially if she can eat still, even if its only a little. If the beak keeps bleeding, you can pack cornstarch in it to stop the bleeding. If you don't have an electric fence, it might be a good idea to buy one. Dogs are extremly deterred by electric shock. Your dog may want to attack again once it has gotten a taste of the excitement of attacking a chicken, and an electric fence will help prevent this and any other predators (foxes racoons).

 

[5crazies]

Thank you for the cornstarch tip. the bleeding has slowed a lot but I will keep an eye on her.
I just made their favorite treat, scrambled eggs and oatmeal, and she is gobbling it up like a champ. This makes me feel so much better.
Unfortunately, and electric fence will not be possible for us. We have three small children (2, 3 & 6) that are outside all the time. I think we will just need to restrict their free range time and take our dog out on the leash when the chickens are out of their coop.

 

[chicknmania]

You can teach a dog not to attack your chickens. When we first got chickens that is the first thing our dog did was to kill one. For at least a week after, I would take her out on a leash every day, show her the chickens and the barn, and tell her sternly "no no no". Sometimes I would reinforce the nono's with a rolled up newspaper. She did get the idea that she was not to attack them. In fact, she became their protector, and we used to call her a Chickherd (instead of Shepherd) lol because she came to look at them as her friends. I know that this might not work with all dogs, but it's worth a try. She died a few years ago from age, and I've been reluctant to try another dog, but we probably will eventually. You could also try a shock collar for the dogs.

So glad to hear that your hen is eating! Good for her. And you!

 

[5crazies]

You can teach a dog not to attack your chickens.  When we first got chickens that is the first thing our dog did was to kill one.  For at least a week after, I would take her out on a leash every day, show her the chickens and the barn, and tell her sternly "no no no".  Sometimes I would reinforce the nono's with a rolled up newspaper.  She did get the idea that she was not to attack them.  In fact, she became their protector, and we used to call her a Chickherd (instead of Shepherd) lol because she came to look at them as her friends. I know that this might not work with all dogs, but it's worth a try. She died a few years ago from age, and I've been reluctant to try another dog, but we probably will eventually.  You could also try a shock collar for the dogs. 

So glad to hear that your hen is eating!  Good for her.  And you! 

Thank you! We've had chickens for a little over a year now and have attempted to introduce our dog to them many times. She always seems like she wants to attack them. She is a 12 year old beagle/pit mix that has always chased squirrels, rabbits and other small animals and birds. We're thinking it may just be part of her beagle blood and at this point it might not be possible to change those behaviors, especially at her age. We will continue to try though.

 

[5crazies]

Would it be beneficial to her for us to feed her any type of special diet right now and while she heals? Softer foods? We feed them crumbled food and so far she seems to be able to eat it. I'm just wondering if the hard crumbles might be painful at all right now.