What are the chances?

[QCZoo]

one of my easter egger hens was attacked by a dog several weeks back. Her whole rear end was bloody and chewed off. I could see bones, and pools of blood. I figured she was a goner, but she made it back into the yard from wherever she'd gone, and was walking around. So I figured she deserved a chance, and brought her in the house, I didn't want to touch anything nonmedicated to the wound, even water, so I basically held her sideways for the worst of the blod to drain off, and sprayed her with a lot of vetricyn, put her in a dog crate and gave her food and water and quiet.

Amazingly...with living in that crate for 4 weeks, gettin vetricyn 3-4 times a day, and terramycin in her water, she lived. She was very unhappy in the crate so I let her have the room she was in to run around in. She ate well, drank well, and eventually we saw scabbing and new growth of skin.

Last week I put her outside in a separate cage nea the chicken yard for a day...she loved it. So I did it again, and yesterday she reintegrated into the flock! She has her fluffy butt feathers back, and while there's still a large scabby area right over her rump. no one was picking on it, and its well dried and covered.

I figure "Lucky" as she's now called, deserves her home whether or not she ever lays again, but Im curious what her chances are of doing so? and is there anything I should watch for if she *can't* lay again?

Leisa

 

[sourland]

The recuperative powers of chickens that have been attacked never cease to amaze me. Unless her vent was torn and is filled with scar tissue, she should be able to lay in the future. Signs of trouble might include straining and walking in a hunched or 'penguin like' posture. Hopefully she will be fine.