Help!! Chickens attacked by dog, 2 dead 2 seem like they will make it!

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I am new to chickens and as the title states I have 2 that have had their feather ripped out on their backs but seem like they’re gonna he okay. The flesh looks pretty raw right now and need to know what I can do for them to help with healing. I’ve read they are pretty resilient and good healers. They only saving grace right now is we don’t have to worry about flies. When I checked on them this morning I could see they had been eating and drinking and they are moving about the pen and seem out of their shock. My husband wanted to put them all down he said it’s got to hurt but I convinced him to let me doctor them up because otherwise they seem okay.

Any help is appreciated!

[2DogsFarm]

Sorry for your hens.
I hope the attacking dog has been controlled.

You’re right, hens heal well from injuries that look terrible to us.
If they are eating & drinking they s/b fine - although they can suffer from shock or succumb to internal injuries.
I had a hen roughed up by a loose roaming dog & aside from losing feathers, she appeared fine but died after a couple days.

The only thing I might do is use wound dust on any areas that appear raw/red, as they will peck at each other & make the wound harder to heal.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@2DogsFarm Thank you… can I find the wound dust you’re talking about at Tractor Supply?

The offending dog is mine, but I’m still not sure what do with the little 5 year old person who let her in the pen

[2DogsFarm]

Wound dust s/b available @ TSC. Blue Kote is another solution.
You just don’t want the other hens seeing red & pecking at the “target”

Here ya go:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/farnam-wonder-dust-wound-powder-4-oz-5023524?cm_mmc=feed--GoogleShopping--Product-_-5023524&gclid=CjwKCAiA5qTfBRAoEiwAwQy-6c0jEAenVKduGarP5oXVN9piM4N4GUOi2FUErNrt2Iy-Ujh5hGKU5BoCgoEQAvD_BwE

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dr-naylor-blu-kote-dauber-4-oz?cm_vc=-10005

Awwww… sorry to hear how it happened.
I am betting 5yo was sufficiently traumatized by the hens you lost to reconsider mingling pet species.
If not, paying you back for the hens killed should come from whatever allowance/pymt for chores is owed.
And keep an eye on the dog - sometimes they get overexcited about the Living Squeaky Toys you have there. :no:

[Simkie]

Don’t use wonder dust. It’s for proud flesh and will melt tissue. Great when you need to reduce proud flesh but really crappy when you have a healthy wound bed.

It’s not clear from your post–is the skin actually broken? If it’s not, you may not need anything.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@Simkie

Don’t use wonder dust. It’s for proud flesh and will melt tissue. Great when you need to reduce proud flesh but really crappy when you have a healthy wound bed.

It’s not clear from your post–is the skin actually broken? If it’s not, you may not need anything.

The skin looks raw from the feathers being ripped out but I don’t see any puncture wounds. I have some Alushield at the barn but can run for some Blucote. I also have chlorhexidine.

@2DogsFarm he’s definitely very sorry for what happened. I don’t think he thought she would hurt them, only play with them and I also don’t think she was out to kill them, only play and chew on them like she does her toys. She’s a 7 month old pit cross and is sweet as they come and not a mean bone in her body.

I’m so sad over this. They were given to us and just brought them home yesterday!

[Simkie]

Alushield is probably a bad idea as it will invite pecking (shiny!) If the birds aren’t picking at each other, you really might be okay with nothing. Blu coat will help prevent them from starting that, though.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I will pick up some Bluecoat… it can’t hurt and will make me feel better anyway.

[Chall]

Total unaware comment: no antibiotics to fight off infections?

[ThreeFigs]

Be certain whatever you buy is safe for use on birds!

[2DogsFarm]

@ThreeFigs

Be certain whatever you buy is safe for use on birds!

I Googled Wonder Dust & Blue Kote - both were safe for poultry.
Admittedly, I’ve only used Blu Kote on my hens.
But I use Wonder Dust on the horses for any superficial cut & they heal nicely.

@BoyleHeightsKid So kid learned a lesson - good. Maybe he can help you put the wound treatment on them?
Just watch him & be careful, as they can & will peck & eyes can be a shiny target.
Still be careful with your pup around the hens.
Pitbulls are not soft-mouthed retrievers, in fact their bite is just the opposite. Just holding a bird can do damage.

Hens may be skittish & hard to catch to treat, but I guarantee raisins or sunflower seeds (both = Chicken Crack) will go a long way in making them Luv you.
And don’t take it personally - hens HATE change & now they’ve been upset 2X - moving to a new home & then the dog.
My hens (of a couple years) gave me side-eye for several days after I moved them to the garage for 1 day when I had electric added to the coop.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I’ve never had chickens, but my second thought (after addressing the wounds) would be - wouldn’t they get cold, since it’s winter and they are missing feathers on their backs? I’d probably be on of “those” crazy people trying to keep them warm, and would probably buy chicken blankets (like the one below). LOL

https://www.amazon.com/Hen-Saver-Single-Chicken-Saddle/dp/B014WLZH00/ref=asc_df_B014WLZH00/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198075118929&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9771868740607661463&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013085&hvtargid=pla-352827113467&psc=1

TSC has chicken/fowl products specifically for birds - so I’d check that section out first for a remedy for their raw featherless areas before trying a horse product (some are fine on other species, some, not so much!).

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@4LeafCloverFarm lol I am worried about them keeping warm. I may just run a heat lamp out there also because now there are only 2 instead of 4 but they got lots of nice hay my husband stole from me

[TCA_Arabians]

As long as you have shelter for them and a lot of hay your chickens should be fine in the cold. Ours handled below ten degrees with no problem. Hopefully, your coop has an area where they can get off the ground and roost. Your larger problem is likely that you now have a pup that thinks playing with them is fun. I hope your coop area is bullet-proof. A dog will dig under fencing to get at chickens.

I’m not sure that punishing a 5-year-old is the best course of action here. Learning from the mistake is the goal. It’s an opportunity to teach why the gate is important… why the front door is important … why the gate that keeps the dog in the yard is important and let him come up with other gates and things that close that are important and why.

If their skin isn’t broken beyond just the redness of feathers being pulled out - I wouldn’t treat it. But, if you use a product that won’t cause further damage - go for it. Hope you have a net to catch them. And, do put the dog up while you do it. You don’t want to reinforce chasing chickens.

[anon6003733]

del

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@TCA Arabians the coup is actually an old truckbed camper, it sits up off the ground and there is no way anything can get in there unless the door is open. I’ll watch them and if they continue to do well then we will start letting them out to roam and scratch around.

As for my son, he’s had some of his privileges revoked for now and I did show him what happened to them. He was so happy when we brought them home and they would actually let him pet them a little. I don’t feel we did a good enough job explaining to him what could happen if the dog was allowed in. well we just never thought he would let her in there. Ugh, so sick about this.

[Ghazzu]

If there are only 2 left, and both are injured, I wouldn’t be overly concerned about slathering on stuff to prevent pecking.
I’d also be super careful about a heat lamp. You don’t want to start a fire.

[Bluey]

You may have to comfort kid, that must have been very traumatic.

Those lessons are self taught, no need to punish for that, unless kid was directly disobeying on purpose, not sure that was the case.

Two chickens may not fare well.
They thrive with company, feed off each other to eat, roost and do their chicken things.
Somewhere I read there is a minimum to keeping chickens, don’t remember the number?

If you turn them free to roam, I expect they won’t last long anyway.
Everything loves chicken.

We kept ours in an old racing pigeon’s coop that had a big day yard attached.
In the winters, we kept a red heat lamp on one side of the roost.
They could get under that or out of the way in a cooler spot.
You do have a place for them to roost for the night?

[JB]

@2DogsFarm

You’re right, hens heal well from injuries that look terrible to us.
If they are eating & drinking they s/b fine - although they can suffer from shock or succumb to internal injuries.

They are so fragile, and so strong at the same time. We have several hens who had worse done to them than just having feathers ripped out - big punctures and some awful looking wounds. All I did was gently wash things, and they were fine. I did put a chicken saddle on 1 whose injuries were in a bad spot for an amorous rooster, and that was about it. I’d slather some Nolvasan on every now and then. They heal amazingly fast. I too would not worry if they are eating and drinking well.

Time to teach the dog that chickens are family. We had a mishap with one of our dogs before we got around do that, and a lovely RIR pulled went to heaven as a result We got serious and it was never a problem after that. She was not a puppy, so it may be harder, but she is a GSD/Chow so has a certain prey drive. Teaching “leave it” to every single dog is one of the best commands to teach. That, and “sit”. Recall can be hard, but “sit” is a lot easier and can save lives.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@Bluey yes we do have a place for them to roost, they are in an old truck bed camper that my husband fixed up for them. Eventually we would like for them to be able to roam and have them roost in the camper. We will take it one day at a time for now. We have one rooster and one hen. When I go to check on them he covers her up and she hides behind him. I’m sure in the spring we will add a few more hens.

So far they still seem to be doing well. I’m crossing my fingers they stay that way.