neighbors chicken mauled

[amber.lyda]

Did i do the right thing? I have had backyard chickens for almost 10 years. My neighbor just got some last year. Her dog has now attacked 2 of her chickens. I suggested she put down the first one because i could tell the dog had punctured the lung and pharynx....her friend took care of it. A few days ago she told me another bird had gotten out and the dog bit it. I suggested some cleaning tips, separate etc. I saw the bird yesterday and the dog had ripped the flesh off from under the wing, all along the side to her cloaca. Her muscles were exposed and torn and the flesh hanging was dead. Feces was in the meat. I didnt see infection signs, but i could smell it (green around cloaca in feces). Again i told her she could try to let her heal, but it didnt look good and personally i would make it fast. Am I doctor death? I feel bad. Im going to help her reinforce her coop before she gets more birds. Im not too keen on killing animals, but i thought it was best. Should i have tried to help her heal the bird?

 

[KayTee]

When we care about our animals we all have to make hard decisions.
Some people would be able to care for and treat birds whilst others do not have the time / money / resources / knowledge to do the same thing.

We are a community who help and support each other, and I hope that everyone will agree when I say that as long as you have considered it fully, whatever decision you make is the right decision for you at that moment in time. I have had to cull birds that maybe other people would have tried to save, but I know that given my personal situation the bird would have suffered too much in the situation, with little chance of survival.

At the end of the day, it is better to give a bird a quick end to their life rather than prolong it with suffering. You seem like someone who cares a lot about their birds - helping your neighbour to reinforce her coop is the best thing you can do. (Unless she can really start to consider whether or not it is appropriate for her to be keeping chickens if she can't keep them separated from an aggressive dog).

 

[amber.lyda]

thanks. I have never killed an animal before....well i put a mole out of its misery when i found my dog had half eaten it. I have been raising chicks for a decade for myself and others, but i had never had to kill one, thankfully they were all healthy and had never been attacked. When they stop laying I just give them to my friend who retires chickens on her farm. Sorry, I guess its just killers remorse lol. I also agree with the dog thing. Damn dog killed my cat, to be fair my cat was in her yard...but still. Im not a fan of her dog at all, but its her baby. I love my neighbor though and her dog is nice unless there is anything small running around