Multiple wounds on hen, graphic pictures - Patches two weeks later!

[ChickieBooBoo]

Yep, thats what I had thought as soon as I saw the wounds. Definantly a dog. You really have to watch your dogs around the chickens, mine was great and suddenly one day he snapped and killed a whole bunch of meat birds. The awesome, friendly family can turn into a chicken killer pretty quickly.

 

[jjthink]

So glad to hear Patches is on the mend.
JJ

 

[sharol]

We have 3 dogs who have all been fine around the chickens (supervised). A couple of days ago, my GLW and Golden Campine tag teamed my elderly sh pointer/brittany cross. I intervened before he could lose it and bite someone's head off. They were flying at him and chest butting him, and he was completely baffled by it. Of course he was in their pen cleaning up their treat plate

but an explanation wouldn't help if I ended up with a dead chicken. The other two (a golden retriever - also old and a fairly young dachshund) just run away when the girls get aggressive.

It could turn ugly in a heartbeat.

 

[Sjisty]

Patches laid an egg overnight! I gave her about an hour of free range time this morning to be with her friends. She is walking much better. Rocky, her main man, stood over her as she pecked around, just like he was protecting her from further harm. He didn't even try to mount her. I did bring her back in, though - we have too many teenage roo-boys who would end up opening up her wounds again. I think this is one story with a happy ending.

 

[dawg53]

Excellent news!

 

[jjthink]

Soooooo glad

JJ

 

[Miss Lydia]

so happy to hear the good news.

 

[Sjisty]

Two weeks later, and Patches is totally spoiled! She doesn't want to be touched, but when I open the mealworm farm, she's right there. I can't find the worms fast enough for her. She is spending her nights in my kitchen, because with most of her "fluff" gone, I'm afraid to let her out in the cold. The down side, of course, is she has pretty much totally lost her place with the flock and is a loner when she is outside during the day. She comes and goes as she pleases, pecking on the front door when she wants to come back in.

Her wounds are healing, but she still looks pretty plucked on her back and sides. She has an apron on to protect her bare skin and hopefully to help keep her a little warm. Her wounds are scabbed over and dry and the scabs are starting to loosen, so once the fireplace gets the living room good and warm today, I might give her a warm soak to help loosen them further and then sit in front of the fire with her until she dries.

And they say "It's only a chicken!"

 

[dawg53]

Patches looks great! But I would let the scabs dry up and just let them fall off on their own. There's still healing and skin regrowth going on underneath them...let it heal all the way. When you decide to return her with the rest of your chickens, it might be best to reintroduce her at night time when the others are asleep, it'll be an easier transition and they wont be any wiser. Throw some treats out in their run the next morning to distract them further. I'd also leave the apron on her. I'd wait til this very cold weather moderates some (hopefully.)

 

[Sjisty]

I figure she will be in the kitchen every night for the winter. She just has too much bare skin under the apron, so there's nothing there to keep her warm. She really looks like a grocery store chicken in places!