Last spring I raised a group of 10 Rhode Island Reds for my sister.
After they went home, something kept picking them off. Then the rooster disappeared. Eventually we were down to 3 pullets, and three chicks.
I went over to visit my sister and found piles of feathers on the driveway, and this time the culprit was clear. The dog had gotten a taste for chicken.
We couldn't find the chicks, and only two of the adults. Two of the chicks eventually came back. This is the chicks today, Jersey Giant RIR crosses.
We thought the 3rd hen was history, but several days later we found her hiding under the nesting boxes.
The dog had ripped the feathers off her back, but the worst was that he had torn the skin off her chest. The muscle underneath was bare.
We isolated her and treated her as best we could, spraying the wounds with an antibacterial and after a day or two we started spreading Vaseline on it to keep it moist.
She started to heal almost immediately. She started laying again two days later and hasn't skipped a day since. Feathers started growing back within a few days on the bare patches.
As of yesterday she has a quarter-sized scab, and she's pretty uncomfortable with being held with all the new feathers coming in, so I couldn't get a good picture.
Should be another week before she's out of isolation and back with the flock.
Through it all she never stopped eating, and showed no sign of infection.
My BIL jokes that she's going to outlive us all. My sister says she's immortal.
I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
After they went home, something kept picking them off. Then the rooster disappeared. Eventually we were down to 3 pullets, and three chicks.
I went over to visit my sister and found piles of feathers on the driveway, and this time the culprit was clear. The dog had gotten a taste for chicken.
We couldn't find the chicks, and only two of the adults. Two of the chicks eventually came back. This is the chicks today, Jersey Giant RIR crosses.
We thought the 3rd hen was history, but several days later we found her hiding under the nesting boxes.
The dog had ripped the feathers off her back, but the worst was that he had torn the skin off her chest. The muscle underneath was bare.
We isolated her and treated her as best we could, spraying the wounds with an antibacterial and after a day or two we started spreading Vaseline on it to keep it moist.
She started to heal almost immediately. She started laying again two days later and hasn't skipped a day since. Feathers started growing back within a few days on the bare patches.
As of yesterday she has a quarter-sized scab, and she's pretty uncomfortable with being held with all the new feathers coming in, so I couldn't get a good picture.
Should be another week before she's out of isolation and back with the flock.
Through it all she never stopped eating, and showed no sign of infection.
My BIL jokes that she's going to outlive us all. My sister says she's immortal.
I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
She looks terrific! Very lucky girl.
I’ve seen a few horrible attacks, and it’s incredible how a badly injured bird can sometimes fully recover when we decide to give them a chance.
