HELP!! My hen was attacked by a dog, she's hurt!

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I didn't see what happened, but I went outside to my dog nibbling on my hen. She must have escaped her run, which she has done before. I got my dog inside and I went out there and she was just laying there on her side, panting. I think she laid an egg out of fear because there was a shell-less egg right next to her. I don't see any blood on her but she wont move. It's been about 10mins, she is currently inside laying on my lap, panting. She sometimes closes her eyes but she always opens them again. What's should I do? I will separate her from the flock. Should I keep her inside where I can watch her 24/7?

 

[catsndogs4us]

Oh poor baby . I'm not sure what to do, keeping her quiet and calm seems right if you don't see an apparent injury. I think she should be separate until she feels better.

 

[Eggcessive]

Offer her some water with sugar 1 tsp per cup or electrolytes to treat for shock. Keep her warm and in a quiet spot separated from others. Look for any hidden wounds under wings or under her feathers. Dogs tend to chase and play with chickens and may grab and squeeze them, which can cause internal injuries. Time will tell if she is okay. If you find any wounds, just use some saline or chlorhexidene to clean them, and apply some plainTriple antibiotic ointment twice a day. Let us know if she is able to stand. I would keep her inside in a wire dog crate and offer water and food often.

I lost one out 3 hens who jumped a chainlink fence from their chicken yard into my backyard where my golden retriever was. The first 2 survived, but the last one with no marks or missing feathers died within 15 minutes. Another escaped the yard and a neighbor’s dog who was with it chased the hen all over removing feathers, and causing scrapes. She survived, but was sore for a few days. She was our best layer, but afterward, her eggs were all soft shelled. The attack through her into a sudden molt as well.

We had to train our dog with a shock collar, and he no longer touched or went near a chicken in the yard. Electric poultry netting solved the issue of chickens jumping up to and over the chainlink fence. I would try to make sure no other escape the run.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Update: she died in my arms
Her breathing was super labored and then she started gasping for breath and jerked hugely (almost fell off me) and kept on twitching (almost like a seizure) until she stopped moving and breathing...
She was my favorite hen, so talkative, sassy, and a little escape artist. I will miss her forever.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’m very sorry for your loss. I’m glad you were able to be with her

 

[Eggcessive]

I am very sorry for your loss. So glad that you were there with her. It is always sad if our pet dog is responsible, but they have strong prey drives. Working with them and training can help. Once our dog was trained, we actually had a few chickens that lived in a small coop in our yard. Chicks however are still too much of a temptation.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I am very sorry for your loss. So glad that you were there with her. It is always sad if our pet dog is responsible, but they have strong prey drives. Working with them and training can help. Once our dog was trained, we actually had a few chickens that lived in a small coop in our yard. Chicks however are still too much of a temptation.

I have been working with him for a while and he was doing great, I guess today he snapped tho...

 

[Eggcessive]

I am really not a fan of shock collars but when we were desperate with our bird dog, we tried it with the dead body of the chicken he hurt. It only took one shock, and he was trained. We put it away and never used it again. Our poor dog could not even look at chickens again, and he just ignored them. That method may not work or be for everyone though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am really not a fan of shock collars but when we were desperate with our bird dog, we tried it with the dead body of the chicken he hurt. It only took one shock, and he was trained. We put it away and never used it again. Our poor dog could not even look at chickens again, and he just ignored them. That method may not work or be for everyone though.

A minor one-time shock to the dog, to protect your chickens forever ... as opposed to ... what? Your chickens always being at risk from an undependable dog? Constant worry the dog may get loose and kill or injure one or several chickens? Having to re-home a beloved pet because he can't be trusted around the chickens? That one shock, IMO, is a very small price to pay for peace of mind and safe chickens.