Mercy Killing

[Cbcarter]

When do you know it's time for a mercy killing after a dog attack? I'm hopeful for recovery,but husband says I'm making her suffer.

 

[Cbcarter]

Wingding, as she is now known, is completely recovered and back with the rest of the flock. The only way to tell her apart from the others is that she eats from my hand. And Eugene the shelter dog is thriving at my dad's house! Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[yochickiemomma]

Shock is normal. I dealt with a fox attack two summers ago my girl had her side torn open she was in shock for about 12 hrs. Try to coax her to eat even if it's treats such as a bit of scrambled egg (extra protein is good for growing back feathers)or wet a little bit of her food. So no external injuries besides missing feathers? Unless something internal is going on she should be ok in a couple days.

 

[yochickiemomma]

BTW there's NO way I would consider euthanizing her at this time based on the info you've provided if she were mine.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Euthanize the dog so it does not happen again...

You make a good point.....

@Cbcarter How did she get attacked by the dog? Was it yours? Have you done anything to ensure there won't be another attack? Sometimes new posters have to wait for approval to post pics and stuff it seems like.

Scrambled or boiled smashed eggs are always nice.

I like electrolytes to help sometimes. Recipe is 2 cups warm water, 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and salt, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white).

A short time not eating is OK but don't let her get dehydrated. If you don't see her get a drink, use your finger and drip a drop on her beak as it rolls into her mouth she will gobble/swallow it. Repeat as needed. Switch back to plain water before long.

 

[dekel18042]

She's doing great health wise, but I'm having a very difficult time putting her back with the others. They go after her whenever I put her outside.

Don't put her back with the others until her wounds have mostly healed. You can cover them with blue kote purchased at a feed store. If the wounds look sore or red the other chickens will peck at them incessantly.

 

[Shezadandy]

x2 what dekel said about making sure the wounds are closed.

Also might help to have her in a see-no-touch situation to reintroduce, either through a crate or a separate fenced area if you've got it. If she can stand her ground without fear of getting pecked she won't act so much like prey. The more she doesn't act like prey/low hen, the better it should go.

Another idea is to experiment and find a hen from your flock that you can bring in to keep the injured hen company, provided she's recovered enough and has blue-kote to cover up any remaining area. If one isn't working out, try another. Two going into the flock is easier than one, and having a see-no-touch reintroduction in that case can smooth re-entry too.

Good luck and great job saving her!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Both previous posters made great suggestions! Blu Kote, and Look but don't Touch method, and add a friend.

Hope the shelter dog is doing well at your dad's house. I have 3 shelter dogs and will ALWAYS adopt in the future! The dog you adopted could be trained if it was important to you. But if you add another in the future, training before an incident is better. It's not that shelter dogs can't be trusted, they just need time and training which includes a relationship and willingness to please their new master. And a clear reinforced expectation. I am glad you didn't just drop the dog back off at the pound for doing what came naturally to it without an opportunity to become part of the family!

All 3 of my dogs and another friends 2 shelter dogs have all been trained to leave my 40+ free range chickens alone. I refer to them as my LPDs livestock predator dogs (instead of LGD). It's not always easy for them. Sometimes I can see one of my girls shaking with excitement (wishing for a bite). My heeler heels (stalks) them and licks his lips. I was warned I wouldn't be able to keep goats with non LGD dogs either.... At first of course I was not able to leave them alone. But with several months of training I have zero problem leaving all of my animals together (other than them wanting to eat the feed that doesn't belong to them). Chicks however are a completely different story, too tempting! Now my dogs are older and breed does play a little roll in their personalities and trainability. I am sharing this with you as a means of letting you know that if you still desire a shelter pet in your life, it is doable (and honorable)! Before I ever left without everybody being secured I spent time watching what the dogs do when they don't know I'm looking. Animals are smart and disobedient just like kids. Even the cockerels know when I'm looking or not. They wait till I turn my back before jumping on a pullet right next to me. But while I'm watching, don't do it cuz they know I'm a cock block!

(finally, I've been waiting to use that backhand emoji since I started using BYC!)

Love to see a pic of your girl!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have a purebred black lab. I got a purebred because I THOUGHT I would know what to expect. This numbskull has killed 3 of my hens, I can't trust her with them at all. I saw her pawing a hen on the ground through the kitchen window and ran outside scolding her. she KNEW she had done wrong. The chicken ran off to die, presumably. The next morning, when I let the flock out to free range, there was my hen,looking quite ruffled. I was glad and picked her up. That is when I noticed she had a rip in her ribcage next to the spine about an inch wide and 3 inches long. I could actually see down into her chest cavity. **** that dog! The hen had to be in shock, so I put her down humanely. I resisted the temptation to put that bloody dog down as well. Kept reminding myself how much I paid for her. That's the only thing that saved her. J.A.

All dogs are individuals regardless of breed. Without training not many will just stand around and watch a prey animal run past.

Chasing is so much fun to a dog! They think like two year olds.

No amount of dollars spent would keep any animal in my home unless it benefited my life. But if it caused me frustration.... there's more to life than money that's done been spent. Especially because keeping a dog costs money every single month. SO if you feed it for the next 5 years even though you didn't want it... might as well give it away and save yourself some money now.

None of my dogs will EVER get put down if they do take the life of a chicken. Of course I would be upset and that would translate to the dog. But sadly... my dogs are more loyal than most friends and family where as my chickens as much as I enjoy them and a few get pet status are livestock.

Yes, labs are known to use a gentle bite when retrieving... hence Labrador retriever. But they are still predators by nature. Without proper training and reinforcement not much can be expected of them.

Another thread recently had people upset that a chicken owner shot a black lab during the night on his own property.... because "labs aren't vicious"! Again I say, every animal is an individual. And young dogs don't yet know how to control their teeth. One of my youngster drew blood on another dog at the dog park before she knew how to control her excitement. Fortunately the other person at the dog park also realized this wasn't actually intended as aggression and that girl has NEVER again drawn blood. When by herself she will even just stand face to face with the cats or hold down with her open mouth the chihuahuas and other small dogs that attack because they got short man syndrome and are too big for their britches. One little wow wow (as I like to call the chi's) that is my mom's dog... my girl Daisy May will even let that dog "killer" grab a hold and hang from her lip by her teeth. Daisy May loves killer, though I'm not sure the feeling is mutual. And Daisy May is the dreaded "bully breed mix". When she's with my other dogs, they are a pack and any animal that comes on my property had better high tail it out.

My chickens are safe from my own dogs. They free range everyday together. But we spent lot's of time training! And the pay off shows and is worth it. I can leave for the weekend and know everybody will be fine when I get home. But squirrel, wild birds, opossum, gopher, or any other animal... my dogs know they have to discern what's in the bush. And they always do.

I'm glad you were able to control yourself... assuming your scolding didn't include kicking or any other (yes) stupid response towards the dog. If you care for any pointers, I would be glad to help.

Note all of my dogs were shelter rescues. Some dogs can be trained handle chickens others not. But it's worth trying.

I guess more than that.. I am sorry for your loss!

 

[yochickiemomma]

Jack you should absoluteley work w her. the collar is useless unless your willing to teach her why she's getting zapped. I work w a guy who only needs to use the beeping function to correct his dogs bad behavior now. My 11 yr old lab has never needed a shock collar other than her chewing on whatever she sees fit to when we leave for the day she generally listens to commands and the only thing she has ever wanted to hunt for is the food dish and chicken poo *gag* Im glad to hear your making progress. Keep up the good work!