HELP! traumatized chicken...?! dog had her head in his mouth...

[monkeyfish]

Aloha, this morning my dog chased one of my chickens and pinned her down with her head in his mouth. He didn't shake her and I got him to let her go after about 5 seconds... she ran off, but was bleeding a little bit from her comb, but that stopped after couple minutes. Other than that she seemed totally fine, but now won't really interact with her flock (4 others and she is in charge), and really wants to keep both eyes closed and just sleep... while awake she seem really stressed, breathes heavy but keeps eyes closed... then she falls asleep, breathing slows, her comb becomes pale... she doesn't want to eat or drink anything... but she can make noise, open her eyes, and move about fine, she just doesn't want to... is she just in shock? I have her in a safe place where they lay eggs away from everyone else. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before? Any advice would be appreciated. She is a Barred Rock hen about 9months old. Thanks!

 

[oesdog]

Treat for shock - it is a killer so she needs your TLC. Keep her seperated and in a quiet dark place. You need to make sure she is eating and drinking. Give her some sugar water / Warm water and a bit of sugar or honey in it - alternatively get some anti-dehydration sachets from your Pharmacy. - You can also put Infant Vitamins in the water - WITHOUT IRON!!!!!!! This you also get at the pharmacy and a few drops will make the water yellow. If your hen wont drink you should get a small syringe and gently push it into the corner of her beak be careful not to drown her though!!!!! Feeding - try yogurt and boiled egg its high in protein and will help her to recover. Look for injurys on her head Dog bites are very very dirty and she could get an infection. Make sure you wash any wound carefully and use diluted iodine to treat. DO NOT GET THIS NEAR HER MOUTH EYES OR EARS!

Good luck Oesdog - remember Shock is a bigger killer than many injuries so you need to treat her for it.

 

[bernice13]

One of our buff orpingtons was attacked by a hawk over the summer. The hawk came up with just feathers, but our chicken was not right for about a month or so. She lost weight, her comb got pale, she would just stand there, with this glazed look in her eyes, instead of pecking and scratching the dirt. Since then we've kept them in a fully enclosed tractor at all times unless we are right there in the yard with them. She slowly got better and is now normal. I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but we tried to hold her more, put her on our laps and pet her. It seemed like she liked to bury her head under an elbow or hand, and maybe that made her feel safer. I also went to the feed store and got some kind of chicken electrolyte mix - I don't really think that did anything. She's her normal self now - I guess it just took some time.

I hope your girl quickly forgets the trauma!

 

[suzettex5]

Aw man! So sorry this happened! You are gonna have to do some serious training with your pooch to prevent any future attacks.

Had this same thing happen with my puppy, only my hen had some injuries. I really babied her. Put neosporin (non-pain relief kind) on all her wounds, but I didnt think she was gonna make it since her head was wobbly and she wouldnt eat much for a few days. I gave her all the really good treats like yogurt, cottage cheese, meal worms, hot plain oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fresh veggies, etc. I also kept her in a crate in the house for 2 weeks to keep her warm and quiet and to keep the other chickens from bothering her.

Oh, and I also gave her a powdered electrolite formula in her water.

It took her a full 2 months to fully recover. I let her out to free range and fend for herself after I saw she was eating and her wounds were mostly healed. She stayed away from the flock until she felt strong enough to deal with them herself. She was never a high ranking hen though.

I hope your hen recovers soon and has no lasting effects from her trauma. She may go off laying for a good while too, so dont be suprised of she doesnt lay for a bit.

 

[Fluffychicky]

I know this is an old post but my silkie is traumatized, she was accidentally left outside in the yard overnight. She has no injuries but won't move barely opens her eyes and hasn't eaten or drank all day. I feel just awful I put her in the coop while the other girls where going in, I never expected her to go adventuring when it was getting so dark. I haven't seperated her because her best friend is in the coop with her and is laying beside her right now. But I did put her in the opposite corner away from the other chickens. I feel awful, am I going to have to force feed her egg? How do I do that and how do I water her without drowning her?

 

[ten chicks]

I know this is an old post but my silkie is traumatized, she was accidentally left outside in the yard overnight. She has no injuries but won't move barely opens her eyes and hasn't eaten or drank all day. I feel just awful I put her in the coop while the other girls where going in, I never expected her to go adventuring when it was getting so dark. I haven't seperated her because her best friend is in the coop with her and is laying beside her right now. But I did put her in the opposite corner away from the other chickens. I feel awful, am I going to have to force feed her egg? How do I do that and how do I water her without drowning her?

Bring her inside immediately,you need to monitor her condition. How hot is it? Give her some electrolytes,dip her beak into the water. She will be dehydrated,this is extremely dangerous. Try and get her to drink.

 

[Fluffychicky]

Bring her inside immediately,you need to monitor her condition. How hot is it? Give her some electrolytes,dip her beak into the water. She will be dehydrated,this is extremely dangerous. Try and get her to drink.

Alright and it's not very hot it's actually the coolest night we've had in awhile, like maybe 62-67 degrees. Should I bring her friend in with her, they are inseparable and she's already spent one night away from her I don't want her to miss her again.

 

[SilkiesnFrizzle]

My goodness! ! This happened to my 6 month Silkie pullet last night. Daushund got her, shook her. I don't know how she pulled thru the night . Only visible wound was small puncture by earlobe. She was straining to breathe.What to do???

 

[Fluffychicky]

My goodness! ! This happened to my 6 month Silkie pullet last night. Daushund got her, shook her. I don't know how she pulled thru the night . Only visible wound was small puncture by earlobe. She was straining to breathe.What to do???

Poor baby! I hope she makes it, I would follow the advice everyone seems to be giving of bring her inside and make sure she eats and drinks. I have an update on my little girl Bell, she is now inside with her best friend (my other silkie Taco) Taco hasn't left her side but Bell still hasn't moved, she is keeping her head out from under her wing today and I syringe fed her an entire raw egg and water with electrolytes, going to do that again in an hour. Her crop is full of liquid and she kept her eyes open a little and made noises while I force fed her so maybe that's a good sign? As for the force feeding I'm doing the best I can but which is the esophagus and which is the trachea? The small hole or the big one? I've been trying to get the food and water in the front of her beak but there were a few times where I've had to squirt it in quick because she struggles so hard. I just really hope it all went the right way.

 

[Fluffychicky]

Also she is extremely dirty from me trying to feed her egg it's dried hard in her feathers I tried to wipe it off best I could but her feathers around her face and chest are stiff. Is it ok to bath her in warm water?