What else?

[TJAnonymous]

A fox, coyote, or stray dog attacked my chickens this morning. I'm thinking it was a fox or coyote, but I can't be sure. I saw it from far away....it was light tan. I know we had gray foxes last summer because one came within a few feet of me. Anyway, I ran outside with a .22 and shot in its general direction. It dropped the chicken and took off into the field behind our property. The chicken, a 6 month old Ameraucana pullet, came running back up to the coop. She went inside and hid in the coop. I picked her up and brought her in the house. She is currently in the brooder I'm setting up for the chicks that are expected to hatch this weekend.

She is missing quite a few feathers off her back. She has a bite that tore the skin on her tail. I haven't looked underneath her yet to see if there are corresponding bites on her under side. I have some spray perioxide to clean it. Was going to put some neosporin on it... The tear is approximately 1/2 - 3/4 inch long. Should she have it stitched? Has anyone ever done stitches on their chicken? What else should I be doing for her? I'm sure she is in shock right now. She has water but isn't interested in it.

 

[hennanny]

had a similar injury to one of our hens from a hawk. First we put some neosporin on the wound and kept inside over the night to help calm the nerves, then after some consulting what we did was bath her with soapy water in bathroom sink, washed out the wound with warmish peroxide as she didn't like the cold and reapplied neosporin.. she's happily laying with her fellow hens again and seems no worse for the wear

 

[Chickenslol]

do you have any pictures?

 

[cmom]

She has just been through a traumatic experience so she will need some time to recover and some TLC. Just do your best. I would make sure the wound is clean and put the ointment on it. Keep her isolated for two or three days and keep an eye on her. Try to get her to drink. At first, because of the trauma she may be slow to respond. Good luck...

 

[TJAnonymous]

do you have any pictures?

I sprayed it with Vetricyn and also put a bunch of iodine on it. She is acting normal now.... Scratching around in the shavings.... Should I just put her back in the coop?

The dog crate that I typically use as the infirmary is currently occupied by two 6 week old chicks that I'm trying to integrate into the flock. Should I just let them out and put her in the crate instead?

 

[cmom]

I would still keep her separated for at least a couple of days until she has had a chance to heal some.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's the whole pathetic story behind this incident.... My automatic door timers are set for 6:30 AM to let everyone out. Normally I put the dog out first thing in the morning. Her dog run backs up to the chicken & duck yards. It is my hope that she will act as a deterrent to any critters. However, this morning, she did NOT want to go outside. I had gotten up at 6:15 AM for an early conference call. As I walked through my living room, I noticed that one of my horses was looking intently at something. I walked out to the back patio and noticed a dog in the corner of the pasture. The dog saw me and took off. I figured it was gone but I felt uneasy about it. So I went out to my sunroom to take my conference call at 6:30 AM. Like most mornings, about a half dozen of my chickens jumped the fence to go free range in the pasture. I could see them but was distracted by my conference call. Around 6:45 AM, I noticed several of the chickens running for cover. That's when I saw the dog in the middle of the pasture chasing one of the hens. I immediately ran to grab the rifle and run outside. Hardly told my coworker what was happening at all.... I'm glad she didn't get mad that I just rudely left. Anyway, I saw the dog had a chicken and I aimed to shoot at it. As soon as I let off a round, it dropped the chicken and ran off. The poor stunned girl ran back to me and hid in the coop.

 

[cmom]

It could have been a dog or a coyote. It will be back. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

If you have a camera, put it up and you will probably get pictures of it lurking. Again, good luck...

 

[hennanny]

IF it was a yote or fox..it will be back