Injured Hen

[foxyscrpr]

Hey there everyone...needing a little advice. I am a fairly new hen mom and this morning my German Shepherd got his mouth on one of my Speckled Sussex's and pulled some feathers from her back

. Is there anything I should apply to the area to prevent any type of infection, etc.? Also will her feathers grow back or will she always have a bald patch?

Thanks for your advice

 

[common coop]

I had a Cochin recover completely from several deep puncture wounds - after the fox decided he couldn't carry his lunch. She recovered fine - and replaced her feathers eventually. Clean the area if any surface wounds - maybe use an apron for a while - if the other hens will pluck the new feathers as they come in..

 

[foxyscrpr]

Thank you....this gives me some comfort. I may just isolate her during the day with my hen that decided to brood all of a sudden. (LOL)

 

[iwiw60]

Thank you....this gives me some comfort. I may just isolate her during the day with my hen that decided to brood all of a sudden. (LOL)

You should probably treat that wound with Vetericyn Spray, then some Blu-Kote which protects the area...she should be fine. The more important thing to consider now at this point is the dog. Are your hens allowed to free-range and that's how the dog got her? You may need to re-think free-ranging because once a dog has a 'taste' for chickens he'll keep trying....relentlessly. So sorry your hen got beat up and I hope she recovers quickly.

 

[Wol1]

I'm so glad it wasn't worse. Our dog has attacked two of our hens. Being the softy I am, I took them to the vet. Surgery, stitches, meds, follow-ups =$$$$$$$. But they survived. The last one was hurt much worse... the vet had to pull all her feathers on her back to stitch her back together. That was a month ago and she is already covered in little baby feathers. If the chicken is shocked, you may want to put her in something like a pet carrier with some electrolyte solution (if you have it) and food...maybe a special treat. Cover the carrier to help her feel safe and to encourage her to rest/sleep. First aid for wounds per my vet is washing the area with warm water, putting some Neosporin or human antibiotic ointment on the wound and keeping the wound clean and dry. Check her carefully for puncture wounds. My vet says those can carry bacteria deep inside and /or damage an internal organ. So, if it's just surface wounds and she is behaving ok, that should do it. You may want to start calling around for an avian vet who will see a chicken just in case her condition deteriorates. If the others pick on her when you return her to the flock, you can rig up something like a "chicken saddle". Mine wasn't bothered even though her back was bare because her wings covered most of the area.

Hope this helps

 

[iwiw60]

Quote:
Try this link for a chicken saddle...

http://https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/patterns-chicken-saddles

I'm going to make a couple of these for my girls' future. Not only for what they're designed for...getting beat up by the rooster...but for protecting wounds, too!

Hope this helps out!

 

[Wol1]

Try this link for a chicken saddle...

http://https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/patterns-chicken-saddles

I'm going to make a couple of these for my girls' future. Not only for what they're designed for...getting beat up by the rooster...but for protecting wounds, too!

Hope this helps out!

That link doesn't work for me.... I found a thread that has some links. I will post that and one of the links below.

The link to the thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/424354/free-chicken-apron-saddle-pattern

A link in the above to an absolutely excellent tutorial if you want to get right to it:
http://backtobasicliving.com/blog/make-a-chicken-saddle/

 

[aart]

Hey there everyone...needing a little advice. I am a fairly new hen mom and this morning my German Shepherd got his mouth on one of my Speckled Sussex's and pulled some feathers from her back

. Is there anything I should apply to the area to prevent any type of infection, etc.? Also will her feathers grow back or will she always have a bald patch?

Thanks for your advice

If there is no broken skin/bleeding you don't need to do anything...her feathers will grows back after her next molt.

 

[foxyscrpr]

Thanks everyone for your advice and tips....shes seems to be doing well. With a little cleaning and some loving she is running around the yard like nothing ever happened.

My girls do free range and typically the dogs are not out without supervision. I had my grand daughter over and she just loves going and checking for eggs and hanging in the coop with the girls. She is still to little to understand she can't take the dogs out with her without a grownup. This is a work in progress here but I keep finding solutions every time I hit a little bump.

 

[iwiw60]

Thanks everyone for your advice and tips....shes seems to be doing well. With a little cleaning and some loving she is running around the yard like nothing ever happened.

My girls do free range and typically the dogs are not out without supervision. I had my grand daughter over and she just loves going and checking for eggs and hanging in the coop with the girls. She is still to little to understand she can't take the dogs out with her without a grownup. This is a work in progress here but I keep finding solutions every time I hit a little bump.

Grandma needs to teach grand daughter "you can go check for eggs, but no dogs" .... I know, I know....hindsight is 20/20....