My dog attacked my chicken!!

[ten chicks]

Yes, she's an Orpington. My favorite breed. She lives in the house with me. She has for about two months now. She's the sweetest hen I've ever had. Some people don't always realize she is an Orpington, because she is so small. She is fully grown and she only weighs 4 lbs 14 oz. Her sister weighs about 6-7 lbs.

She sounds like a sweetheart,she is probably small b/c of the tongue injury she sustained when she was a young chick. Yes,orpingtons are definitely my favourite,i just love mine.

 

[Viollettt]

I'm so sorry for your Sunni. It sounds like she's doing better and I am so glad.

This next part is more for future folks who might read this thread as an FYI.

****WARNING GRAPHIC**** just wanted to address the dog thing. I also have dogs and I let them around my chickens. It took months of training and time for me to even allow it. I just don't let them alone with them. Even though I know that one of them would never hurt them. However, dogs change and what they might not do one day they might do the next. This is NOT a judgement at all. We all make mistakes or have things happen that we would never want to happen. With a dog on chicken type of injury; what I know about dogs is they will first crush the skull of small animals to kill them It's not so much the tooth bite you have to worry about as much as the crushing part. So if anyone is going to let their dogs around their chickens remember that it only takes a second for a dog to crush a chickens skull. Plus they don't stop at one. They will first kill every last chicken first and then go about the business of eating them if that is what they want to do. Sometimes dogs just kill for the sport. They don't have to be hungry.

That being said... I do have a couple of chickens that love my dogs. They chase them around and will even sit with them. I also have a chicken and a cat that love to sit together.

 

[PetLover7]

I have 2 ducks that were atacked by a dog 2 or 3 years ago. They both survived, although they each lost an eye. They both act fine and help each other to make up for the loss, but they are both happy, healthy, and fat.
They can be really tough when they want.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I'm so sorry for your Sunni.  It sounds like she's doing better and I am so glad. 

This next part is more for future folks who might read this thread as an FYI.

[COLOR=FF0000]****WARNING GRAPHIC****[/COLOR]  just wanted to address the dog thing.  I also have dogs and I let them around my chickens.  It took months of training and time for me to even allow it.  I just don't let them alone with them.  Even though I know that one of them would never hurt them.  However, dogs change and what they might not do one day they might do the next.  This is NOT a judgement at all.  We all make mistakes or have things happen that we would never want to happen.  With a dog on chicken type of injury; what I know about dogs is they will first crush the skull of small animals to kill them  It's not so much the tooth bite  you have to worry about as much as the crushing part.  So if anyone is going to let their dogs around their chickens remember that it only takes a second for a dog to crush a chickens skull.  Plus they don't stop at one.  They will first kill every last chicken first and then go about the business of eating them if that is what they want to do.  Sometimes dogs just kill for the sport.  They don't have to be hungry.

That being said...  I do have a couple of chickens that love my dogs.  They chase them around and will even sit with them.  I also have a chicken and a cat that love to sit together. 

Well it's a good thing I kicked our dog off of her before he could crush her skull. He sure did try though. He got his mouth around her head. She has a gash on the top of her head, and there is a dark greenish blue bruise that spreads over most of the top of her head. I know chickens bruise easy, and I know bruises get worse before they get better, so I'm not too worried.

I know now that I will never let our dog near my chickens again. I never would have thought he would do something like this, and now I just don't trust him. If I had been in the other room when he attacked her, he would have killed her.

 

[CasadasHens]

Someone was careless and let my latest rescue dog get out of his secure courtyard. He went straight for the chicken run and managed to kill a hen he flushed over the fence plus 2 chicks that had gone through 2 sets of wire before I could grab him.........absolute nightmare....

 

[Viollettt]

Well it's a good thing I kicked our dog off of her before he could crush her skull. He sure did try though. He got his mouth around her head. She has a gash on the top of her head, and there is a dark greenish blue bruise that spreads over most of the top of her head. I know chickens bruise easy, and I know bruises get worse before they get better, so I'm not too worried.

I know now that I will never let our dog near my chickens again. I never would have thought he would do something like this, and now I just don't trust him. If I had been in the other room when he attacked her, he would have killed her.

I'm so glad you were there, too. Dogs are hardwired to do this type of thing for their survival. It's not really personal. It's just a dog being a dog.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I'm so glad  you were there, too.  Dogs are hardwired to do this type of thing for their survival.  It's not really personal.  It's just a dog being a dog. 

I know. But I still find myself so upset with him. I spent months feeding Sunni with tubes and syringes after she lost her tongue, and just when she is finally doing so well, and is living the best life she ever could, this happens. I'm having a hard time NOT being mad at our dog. I still love him, but I am just so dissapointed in him.

CasadasHens: That's awful... Im sure that was hard for you. I love dogs, and I love chickens. It's really sad that those two just don't always coexist with each other. I have seen so many threads and conversations about chickens being killed by dogs, and it really makes me sad.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

An update on Sunni to kind of lift the mood a bit. She is doing well, but she is still so tired. She just woke up from a long nap. She was so deeply asleep that she didn't even hear my large cat knock over a box about 5 ft away from her.

Now she's sitting on my lap under a blanket looking around at things. She tried to eat and drink on her own earlier, but she doesn't have good coordination with just the one eye. She still hasn't gained her eyesight back in the one eye. I noticed that the bruising from the small puncture wound in her head traveled down to just above her eye, so that may have something to do with why she can't see out of it. It's hard to know for sure.

I think the worst of what she went through yesterday was because of the shock. Now she is slowly recovering from it. I have a strong feeling that she's going to survive this. She is such a fighter. This little lady doesn't go down without a fight. And she's loving all of the cozy snuggles she is getting the last two days.

 

[H E R]

I have had a similar incident these past two weeks with my neighbors dog. He got into the chicken run last week and killed to of my babies(RIR and Cochin hens) and my Silver Laced got away. Well my husband was tired of looking at me being depressed and the depressed hen(Emery) following my every move so he got us a Slikie Rooster. I was happy I don't know about emery. Anyways I had him for 48hrs I put him in the coop and run so he could get familiar with his new home and buddy. I was away not even 30mins I heard them in the yard and yes, he was gone when I got there and the beagle had my Emery in his mouth. She has a broken wing, a torn up back a laceration in her face by her ear and I think her leg is broken. I put Neosporin on her back and covered it with bandages and I don't know what to do about the wing or leg. Putting her down is not an option my husband! But what can I do as far as medicating her or resetting her wing? Can I do this? She is now eating but again doesn't want to leave my side.

 

[ten chicks]

First of all you need to secure your coop! Please do not bring any more birds home until this is done as it is not fair to the birds,this dog will be back guaranteed. Have you spoken to the owners of this dog? I would almost be inclined to shoot this animal if he comes back.

Your silkie rooster,when you say "gone" do you mean dead or missing(i am assuming dead,but just to clarify). For your girl,can you feel any break in her leg? Can she walk on leg? Is her wing dragging on the ground? You can make a splint for leg if you believe it is broken. For her wing,you could try wrapping wing to immobilize it,secure wing to body,wrap once under wing (so there is no rubbing against skin)then wrap around body in a figure eight,wrapping under good wing. Secure wrapping,but not so tight as to cut off circulation. Some recommend splinting wing,but unless you know where break is i am skeptical on how this would work. Keep her quiet/calm,give electrolytes for shock,make sure she is eating/drinking,especially drinking.

For wound on back,clean initially with a diluted peroxide solution then use a saline solution daily,apply an antibiotic ointment(nothing ending in "caine/cane")toxic to chickens. I would leave uncovered,wound will heal from inside out. For pain,you can give her a baby aspirin(81mg) or a reg aspirin(325mg)dose is 25mg per lb of body weight,crush and place in water(my preference) or feed. Keep her warm,when ill/injured birds cannot regulate their body temp,you can place a hot water bottle(wrap in a pillowcase or towel)beside her,if she needs the heat she will sit beside or on it,if she is warm she will move away from it.

Most important watch for infection,with any animal bite the risk of infection increases.