My dogs plucked my hen!!!

[MrFluffyandGirls]

This is the first time they have touched her...one pup did perhaps have her cornered once but I actually thought she was just stuck behind her mirror and he was barking to alert me of it. We have 5 dogs and they sleep under whatever the chickens are sleeping under...never touched, chased, or bothered any until now. However, this particular game hen sometimes stays outside the coop at night (she can fly out at will unlike my other hens) and we have had a large coyote problem of late...hmmmm all this is just making me think so many different things...I did not actually see any dogs chasing or chewing on her.

If it was a coyote it would have been dinner. Coyote know how to kill efficiently and dogs tend to be more domestic and confused how to handle a living squeaky toy.

 

[Sonya9]

This is the first time they have touched her...one pup did perhaps have her cornered once but I actually thought she was just stuck behind her mirror and he was barking to alert me of it. We have 5 dogs and they sleep under whatever the chickens are sleeping under...never touched, chased, or bothered any until now. However, this particular game hen sometimes stays outside the coop at night (she can fly out at will unlike my other hens) and we have had a large coyote problem of late...hmmmm all this is just making me think so many different things...I did not actually see any dogs chasing or chewing on her.

Put netting over your coop. Game birds are very active, I have OEG bantams in with the layers and if there was no netting they would fly out of the 6' fence constantly (and they wouldn't survive my dogs).

 

[Sonya9]

If it was a coyote it would have been dinner. Coyote know how to kill efficiently and dogs tend to be more domestic and confused how to handle a living squeaky toy.

Exactly. A coyote would be after a meal to feed the pups, they wouldn't treat a chicken like a play toy.

I do hope the dogs do not end up getting blamed especially if there are more losses. Five bored dogs will get into thinks, if one gets the idea the others join in.

 

[hysop]

Would it be able to grow back its feathers without skin? If a human gets skinned I don’t think they grow back skin do they? Cuts and scrapes yeah, but not being skinned. Poor thing.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

My heart is breaking for that poor chicken. Imagine the pain that she is in. As resilient as chickens are, I'm leaning more toward putting her down. As others said, it will be months and months of healing. Scaring to that extend is stiff and often painful even after healing. Whichever path you choose, I wish you and your hen the best of luck.

 

[Sonya9]

Would it be able to grow back its feathers without skin? If a human gets skinned I don’t think they grow back skin do they? Cuts and scrapes yeah, but not being skinned. Poor thing.

Typically the skin grows back at least with smaller wounds. Not sure about this though, seems like it would be similar to a burn victim which presents a massive infection risk aside from the incredible pain.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

Would it be able to grow back its feathers without skin? If a human gets skinned I don’t think they grow back skin do they? Cuts and scrapes yeah, but not being skinned. Poor thing.

You're correct, It's highly unlikely because of the extensive skinning. Poor birdie.

 

[Matejka]

Help!! My dogs think this game hen is a chew toy...they touch NONE of the other hens, but this morning I found her plucked down to the muscle! She seems stressed but alive...now what do I do to help her heal? She WILL heal, right??? Am I the worst chicken Mama ever to want her alive instead of culling her?

Cull her. That would be the merciful thing to do. Then restrain and retrained the dogs. They WILL do it again. Never trust a Dog with a bird. This upset me, and bot sure WHY it upset me so badly, but it did. The terror this bird went through, and it wasn't a quick act, this took some time. Cull her.

 

[Ladyedith]

Help!! My dogs think this game hen is a chew toy...they touch NONE of the other hens, but this morning I found her plucked down to the muscle! She seems stressed but alive...now what do I do to help her heal? She WILL heal, right??? Am I the worst chicken Mama ever to want her alive instead of culling her?

Hi is the silver skin still there? If it is and the muscle is covered you can get a horse antibiotic spray. It forms a physical barrier on the skin.it keeps it moist and keeps out air and bugs and bacteria. I used it on a goose that my dogs got to. They pulled the neck skin and the skin just rolled down leaving only the silver skin. It grew back feathers and all. If it really is down to the muscle itself I'm not sure there is much you can do. She will probably succumb to shock or gangrene if you don't cull her. As to why the dogs went after her, being a game hen she might smell different? My lab was so good with the chickens. He didn't chase them and they pretty much ran him away. I got 2 guineas and within a week he ATE both of them. Not like your hen, nope I caught him chase one down and swallow it whole! Legs, beak, every thing he didn't even get sick! I was so mad but he just looked so pleased with himself, like, look I got rid of that weird critter! Needless to say that was the end of my guinea experiment. I'm sorry about your hen its hard to feel so helpless

 

[hysop]

Hi is the silver skin still there? If it is and the muscle is covered you can get a horse antibiotic spray. It forms a physical barrier on the skin.it keeps it moist and keeps out air and bugs and bacteria. I used it on a goose that my dogs got to. They pulled the neck skin and the skin just rolled down leaving only the silver skin. It grew back feathers and all. If it really is down to the muscle itself I'm not sure there is much you can do. She will probably succumb to shock or gangrene if you don't cull her. As to why the dogs went after her, being a game hen she might smell different? My lab was so good with the chickens. He didn't chase them and they pretty much ran him away. I got 2 guineas and within a week he ATE both of them. Not like your hen, nope I caught him chase one down and swallow it whole! Legs, beak, every thing he didn't even get sick! I was so mad but he just looked so pleased with himself, like, look I got rid of that weird critter! Needless to say that was the end of my guinea experiment. I'm sorry about your hen its hard to feel so helpless

Not trying to get off topic but my dog is wonderful with all my chickens, but when I got guineas he just had this urge to want to eat them all. Even as I was smacking him and telling him no he would still try to get them through their pen as if I wasn’t even there.

He did manage to kill a few that were 2 months old (I let them free range), but once the rest became adults they were able to fly high plus he lost interest maybe and now doesn’t bother them.

But I too think it was due to the difference in scent of chickens vs guineas because they even smelled different to me.