Lethargic and stooped after mauling - stress? internal injury?

[sevenbabychicks]

Hey all,

My puppy suddenly became interested in the chickens she's shared a yard with for the past 7 months. Two days ago I went outside to find she'd mauled one of my hens (Esme) and this morning she got another one (Knephla). There's no external trauma on either one, but Esme is still waddling and standing like a penguin after two days (is eating and drinking) and Knephla is extremely weak and just wants to sleep.

I've had chickens attacked before, but they haven't seemed nearly as out of it as these guys are - including a time when a raccoon ate half of Esme's comb and broke her wing. She laid an egg shortly after I brought her in from this attack, her droppings look normal, and her comb is red, so I'm guessing (hoping) there aren't any eggs broken inside of her...

Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? Is it just stress/exhaustion? Will they come out of it?

Ugh, having chickens is so heartbreaking and stressful sometimes.

 

[justplainbatty]

Hey all,

My puppy suddenly became interested in the chickens she's shared a yard with for the past 7 months. Two days ago I went outside to find she'd mauled one of my hens (Esme) and this morning she got another one (Knephla). There's no external trauma on either one, but Esme is still waddling and standing like a penguin after two days (is eating and drinking) and Knephla is extremely weak and just wants to sleep.

I've had chickens attacked before, but they haven't seemed nearly as out of it as these guys are - including a time when a raccoon ate half of Esme's comb and broke her wing. She laid an egg shortly after I brought her in from this attack, her droppings look normal, and her comb is red, so I'm guessing (hoping) there aren't any eggs broken inside of her...

Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? Is it just stress/exhaustion? Will they come out of it?

Ugh, having chickens is so heartbreaking and stressful sometimes.

Hmm. Keep those birds inside, away from dog. They are traumatized and could have internal injuries. Check through feathers for bruising/blood pooling. Give electrolytes in their water. Keep them calm by covering their cage/s with towels so that it's not bright. Keep the dog away! They need time to stop being scared. And if I may say so, your puppy should always be on leash outside and needs intensive training to turn him from chicken killer to chicken companion or guard. there are plenty of threads about that on this site. I hope your birds can recover.

Here is a short story about how I trained my black lab to love chickens the right way.(bottom of post#2)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/954657/my-fox-repellent-anyone-with-fowl-and-dogs-please-comment I hope it, and the other posts in the thread can help you out.

 

[sevenbabychicks]

Esme's doing well and is back out in the yard, but Knephla died half an hour ago. She was my favorite, a little splash hamburg I got as a "mistake" from My Pet Chicken five years ago, and who moved with me from MT back to MN. She loved getting petted and being carried around, and just generally hanging out with people. When I worked on my laptop outside in the summer she would just perch on the back of the chair and keep watch. Unlike any other bird I've had, she had an ability to maintain your gaze in an eerily humanlike way. It'll be hard to move on after this one.

Why did I let the dog out again. What terrible mistake; I don't know what I was thinking. I've had lots of animals in my 32 years and never has one killed another. I know my dog can't connect events or understand why I'm upset, but I just can't bring myself to look her in the eyes. I'll be checking out other threads for ways how to curtail her behavior, but does anyone have any advice on how to get yourself to forgive an animal you love for killing another animal you love? She seems different to me, now.

 

[sevenbabychicks]

Justplainbatty, I just saw your reply - thanks for the advice and link! That's a very helpful thread. I ordered a shock collar right after this happened, but a person's reply to your post suggests that may not work in all situations. Like them, I don't think my dog was trying to kill chickens, but was just playing too rough with them.

 

[justplainbatty]

Justplainbatty, I just saw your reply - thanks for the advice and link! That's a very helpful thread. I ordered a shock collar right after this happened, but a person's reply to your post suggests that may not work in all situations. Like them, I don't think my dog was trying to kill chickens, but was just playing too rough with them.

The shock collar was for the off leash perimeter training mostly. I used it occasionally at first to stop him from running at chickens. He learned to approach chickens in a calmer fashion that way. The most important training came from putting chicks on him and stuff I explained in the other thread. As far as forgiving the dog, he was playing, not realizing the fragility of the chicken. He was probably surprised and disappointed that his toy quit moving and was no fun all of a sudden. He was just being a dog who didn't know better. You will teach him better and you will both be happy. Your dog forgives all your transgressions so forgive him this.

 

[sevenbabychicks]

...Your dog forgives all your transgressions so forgive him this.

I teared up at this. So meaningful, so true, so helpful

 

[justplainbatty]

I teared up at this. So meaningful, so true, so helpful

Sorry for the loss of the bird, but happy for the repaired relationship with the dog. Best wishes to you and all of your animals.

 

[ctrygran]

Need help desperately before we destroy my roo. I put the chickens up the other night and forgot to close the door "squirrel moment" later that evening I let my two shitzu's out. When I went to let them back in I heard the screams and realized my error. I lost 5 of my black australorp hens. I felt awful but now I am concerned about one of my surviving roos. His comb is turning pinkish and is flopped over, His face is spotty looking and he is lethargic. The other survivors, while a little understandably nervous, are missing a few feathers but are fine. He is eating and drinking but I am beginning to wonder if he has internal injuries and if it would be humane to put him down instead of letting him suffer through to possibly die. Thanks!

 

[ochochicas]

Need help desperately before we destroy my roo. I put the chickens up the other night and forgot to close the door "squirrel moment" later that evening I let my two shitzu's out. When I went to let them back in I heard the screams and realized my error. I lost 5 of my black australorp hens. I felt awful but now I am concerned about one of my surviving roos. His comb is turning pinkish and is flopped over, His face is spotty looking and he is lethargic. The other survivors, while a little understandably nervous, are missing a few feathers but are fine. He is eating and drinking but I am beginning to wonder if he has internal injuries and if it would be humane to put him down instead of letting him suffer through to possibly die. Thanks!

The shitzus killed your hens? I'm not understanding what happened to your rooster.

 

[ctrygran]

They attacked the whole flock. The roo survived but is acting weird. In the Alabama heat I am concerned he is not recovering as well as the others. It was awful. They just sort of killed indiscriminately. One other hen is missing some neck feathers but is ok as well. The others that survived the attack seem to be very frightened but ok. All except the roo. Had we not found them when we did I am thinking they would have killed the whole flock. (22 birds)