young hen attacked by dog-alive but can't move-update

[Violet5]

I haven't even had a chance to introduce myself and post photos of my beautiful young chickens. They have been in thier coop for 2 weeks now. Today somebody didn't latch the gate all the way and our dog got loose and chased the chickens. Four seem Ok but the fifth was laying motionless. We put her in the box she was raised in and she raised her head and looked around but does not move her body and legs. She is not cheeping or clucking. Amost seems calm but just doesn't move.

What do you think is wrong with her? My husband thinks her back is brocken. Could she be in shock? If so, what can we do? My kids are very upset. My 11 year old son was sobbing. My husband wants to get rid of the dog but that is a different story (she has also attacked our lamb and got out and attacked a neighbor but didn't bite him). We pretty much live in fear of her getting loose and leave her in the house during the day. Anyway is it hopeless? I feel so bad.

 

[jessleeh]

same thing happened to us not long ago... our bird was moving more but was obviously in shock. it took her at least 24 hours to start acting somewhat normally. sorry... yours might have a broken back or neck, but in case it could recover, i was told to keep mine in a quiet and protected place, and try to give water occasionally with a dropper. i wanted to get rid of my dog too.

good luck, let's hope it's just shock...

 

[Violet5]

Thank you. I will try the dropper. All I have is a medicine dropper. Hope it's not too big. I will post an update. Noone can look at the dog. We know it's just her nature but... Especially since this happened with the lamb. The lamb is fully recovered FYI.

 

[artsyrobin]

could easily be shock, i have a hen that i was given after a dog attack, about 24 hours after the attack she quit walking, took about 3 months and she pulled through and is a laying hen now-
here is a link to her story http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o155/rgortonart/Jewel-%20Miracle%20Hen/
when we first got her

and now-

here is a recipe for boosting her nutritionally a friend of mine uses:

To help a bird recover from illness, they need extra protein.. this formula really helps them with thier recovery

My Treatment is this

“” This amount feeds one bird””

Feed the birds three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 x egg yolk….. give the whites to the other hens mixed into their seed or pellets (depends a lot on the size of the egg yolk)

1 teaspoon honey…. .given for energy

2 x tablespoons yoghurt…. Given for calcium and also to make the bowel go back into normal production after this upset
Only use the plain yoghurt never the one with fruit or extra sugar in it, not good for the bird

¼ teaspoon calcium powder (if you can’t get the yoghurt)

3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed, or use chicken crumbles or layer pellets but soften them with some boiling water first

Sprinkle of multi vitamin powder (only if you are not already giving it to them in their drinking water, don’t overdose) just a few grains will usually be enough for this size mixture

2 to 4 table spoons of apple sauce or grated apple, it must be grated not chopped up for ease of digestion

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny

If the bird is not eating you will have to force feed... roll into small pellets the same size as a layer pellet.... and force feed, and then massage the neck in a downward motion to get it down into the bired crop, make sure your keep the neck straight, its really hard getting someting down a neck that is bent or curved, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat…. Don’t hold back…. The longer it goes without this the worse it will get

If you must give it something to drink – only give drops onto the beak or use the crop tube to get fluids down the throat, don’t try and pour any fluid down a chickens throat, it will more than likely go into the air passage and into the lungs and end up drowning the bird


This will give the bird a large dose of Vitamin D, C and A

After 3 days cut back to once a day for 2 weeks, you should notice the difference in 3 or 4 days

Give other food also, chick crumbles, grower crumbles or layer pellets depending on the age of the bird etc
Also have fresh water at all times for the birds to drink in easy reach, remember it is not well so it may not go looking for the food and water, so put it just about under its nose so it can’t miss it​

 

[Violet5]

I went out there to give her some sugar water and noticed a bunch of ants on her. They seemed concentrated on one area and while I was inspecting she starting moving and squaked. Moved both her legs. I found a deep looking puncture just above her wing. She moved her wing also. So I picked as many of the ants off as I could and put her in a different box with fresh bedding. Put that box in the bathtub to protect from ants. I forced her beak open and gave her a tiny bit of sugar water. DH thought it would be upsetting to keep doing it for now.

Should I do someting for the puncture?

Thanks for the recovery diet.

 

[sheila3935]

you should bring her in the house if you havent already. It will keep the bugs off her. Clean her wounds and put neosporin on them. Kepp her in a darkened room so she can rest. I would give her something to drink every couple of hours.

 

[Chew593]

My small flock of 10 hens was mangled when a neighborhood dog jumped the fence into my yard while my girls were free ranging. All of them had punctures, some had been seriously mauled, one had a broken wing. I taped up the wing and packed all the wounds with neosporin (the kind without the pain reliever) and since all of them had been chewed on I left them to their own devices in the run. I repacking the wounds with neosporin a couple times a day. They all lived. I'm sorry for what happened. Chickens are miraculous little healers. Good luck.

 

[Conn55]

I have had the same problem with dogs attacking hens and poults. We now are 4 less dogs in the town I live in. We had a hen get ripped up so bad she didn't want to be touched. I cleaned the blood off of her with wet paper towels. Put Vicks on her open deep wound and put her in a room in the barn. I gave her layer mix and cat fod. in 2 weeks the chicken had new feathers, her wounds were healed and she looks better than she did before the attack. she is now almost 4 yrrs old and laying still. Vicks works good on the chickens or other animals that get wounds, from picking or puntures. It keeps the bugs away and the mentolaum heals and sooths it.
When a chicken lays there and acts like it can't move becareful picking it up. Use both hands and cup around the body and the head on your wrists. They are very fragile and can do more harm as it may cause green or infected bones.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
Your husband is correct. She attacks stock, and has attacked a neighbor. You know what this dog is capable of doing; if you continue to harbor it knowing this, you will be in for one very big fat liability suit if the dog attacks someone or their animals since you know you have a dangerous dog.

The problem is too many people put the blinders on until it is too late and a child is seriously injured.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
Agreed!! It takes *1 bite in a split second to a child's face to do serious damage. There's far too many gentle sweet dogs in the world to waste one single bowl of dogfood on untrustworthy ones. I wouldn't put him down for the chicken attack (my own dogs would looove chicken dinner) but I certainly would for the human aggression problem. And the fact that he obviously can't be reliably contained.
That said....I had a chicken attacked by a dog (not mine) years ago and cleaned her all up and kept her in the bathtub and kept neosporin on all the tears and gashes. I thought she was going to die but she was such a little fighter I wanted to give her a chance. It took about 2 wks and she started walking again and healed right up. It took awhile for all her feathers to grow back but she was fine. She was pretty messed up after the attack. I'd have thought she was a goner for sure.