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Dog attacked hen. What I learned

4 October 2012

Learn from Mishaps

When I encounter a mishap, I try to learn from it. Most of you who read this blog know that our dear Sweetpea, a barred rock, was attacked by a dog last month. The dog was thankfully not one of our own labradoodles. That would have been even more difficult to endure. The dog that got into our yard, chased the hens, caught Sweetpea, and successfully pulled off feathers and flesh, was a neighbor’s female bull terrier.

Years ago, when I was a young mother and had a milk goat, chickens, ducks, a pony, and baked our own bread, we lost hens due to raccoons breaking and digging into the coup at night. I’ll never forget the sound as a hen was having her head ripped off by a predator. I vowed that if I ever had hens again, I would have a coop that nothing could break into. So dear husband built a cement floored henhouse (where hens are contained at night) and buried hardware wire around the perimeter of the outdoor coop. We used 2″ welded wire for the top and sides of the coup to prevent hawks and foxes, patrolling our area during the day, from helping themselves to fresh chicken breast. This has worked as we haven’t lost a hen to a predator yet.

What Happened?

Then in the spring, I began letting the hens out of the run for a few hours a day while I gardened. I’d put the 2-year-old labradoodles in the house for their late morning nap. Our half-acre is fenced so I felt fairly sure that a fox wouldn’t get in, grab a hen, and escape over a six-foot fence, nor would a hawk bother the girls with people around. What I didn’t anticipate is a neighbor, with her dog off leash, walking by, seeing an open gate (contractors were unloading materials for our garden-room addition) and, doing what dogs do, go hunting in our back yard.

Feathers growing back.

It all happened in a few seconds. The dog saw the chickens, ran full speed, with husband and contractors in hot pursuit. The dog first grabbed Daisy (the Buff Orpington) and spit her out (guess she was too fluffy). Then she grabbed Sweetpea and ran about 100 feet, put her down on the ground and began ripping and tearing. Shouts and screams did not deter the dog. My husband pried her jaws apart to get the dog to release the hen.

Damage Done

Sweetpea’s wing was broken and pieces of her flesh on her back and under her wing were missing. In the beginning of my “hen project” I made an agreement with my husband that I would not run up vet bills for hens. So far, I’ve been able to treat them at home. I felt I could bind her wing and treat her wounds myself. She probably would have benefited from stitches but I just couldn’t bring myself to sew flesh.We gave Sweetpea antibiotics for a week, changed her dressings daily and kept her wing bound with “vet tape”. With only one wing, her balance was off. The first time she tried to jump up on a bale of hay, she fell on her side and “couldn’t get up”.

Recovery

I put her in the run for an hour each day so that the girls would stay friendly, and within two weeks, she was back with her pals full time and was able to get up on her four-foot roost at night. We removed her bandage after three weeks and she was able to take a dust bath and lie in the sun. Ahhhhhh……….

What I learned?

The hens are never really safe. The reality is that as long as there are predators, there is a danger of a chicken being hurt or killed. You can do all the things you can to safeguard your chickens but mistakes will happen, like a gate being opened as you pass through and a negligent neighbor walking with a dog off leash.

Reporting

Did I do anything about the incident? Yes, I reported it to our San Luis Obispo County Animal Control. They took a report and recorded it in case of future problems. What I found out is, the owner of the dog is responsible for damage costs (if there are any). On a third incidence, the dog will be classified as vicious. What good will that do? And as far as paying me for the loss of one these pets, what would be adequate payment?

Freerange Under Supervision

I’ll be as careful with the girls as I can, but, they are old and deserve to have a pleasant life. I want them to follow me around, scratch in the dirt, lie in the sun and just be chickens so I’ll continue letting them our under supervision. That is the best I can do for them.

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53 Comments to “Dog attacked hen. What I learned”

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  1. ChristinaOctober 7, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    Poor Sweetpea — and how scary for you! It sounds like you’ve taken wonderful care of her; glad to hear she’s mended so well.

    We’re in the same boat as you, with four hens who turned three yrs old this summer. Eggs were way down on my list for reasons to get hens; I wanted them as garden companions, for fertilizer, as predator control, and for eggs. So I think we’ll leave things as they are for now and buy eggs from friends — so many people have backyard chickens now!

  2. Melissa @ Bless This MessOctober 23, 2012 at 5:52 am

    SO sad! I’m glad she didn’t die. I just lost 6 (out of 9) of my beloved hens to my neighbors dogs. I just didn’t see it coming and I am kicking myself for not preventing it better. But why those dogs were out without a leash will always bug me. I LOVE your blog and can’t wait to see more. Melissa- a fellow chicken lover.

  3. kirsten whiteOctober 27, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    Hi lady’s…..I too have a fondness for my hens especially since my first hen is a wonderful brooder and layer as are her daughters. I acquired a rescue hen…pearl is her name. The mistake was mine. since all my animals, dogs, goats, cats and chickens reside together when im home id accidentally overlooked pearl who was in a nesting box laying. My LGD mixes are training up well but with a 6 month pup well I came home and pearl was mauled. She came and lived in the house 2 weeks, between vetricyn and bovine collostrum she began to recover. 2 months and feathers still growing back…Pup has since out grown curiosity about chickens but everyone gets couped when I leave. Pearl still comes in the house to eat and she is a joy…Started laying after 2 weeks the most humongous eggs….Must have been the collostrum….hehehe I left my phone on the hood of my car and lost it that day. my precious grandson asked me “chickens are more important than phones, right gramma” I said “yes honey, but not more important than people” Your sight is enjoyable and I’m always looking for fresh ideas.

  4. Laura from VirginiaDecember 16, 2012 at 8:33 am

    I can’t say enough about electric net fencing. This will deter all four legged predators and shock the stuffings out of them if they try to get at your flock. Also, the electric fencing is especially advantageous for the small flock owner as you may rotate the flock around your property to give them access to green vegetation.

  5. Andria HeadJuly 19, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    Hey there, we just had this same experience, except it was our own dog who had previously been very good and gentle with our hens. šŸ™

    Our hen fared better than yours…she has no flesh wounds, just a broken wing.

    I was wondering where you kept her while she healed? And could she see the other birds?

  6. LeeJuly 20, 2013 at 10:21 am

    We kept Sweetpea in a wire dog kennel in our garden shed. She could hear the other hens but not see them. When she was up and around, we let her loose in the garden and she’d hang out outside the wire coop visiting with the other hens. They still picked on her when she reentered the “pecking order”. Even her best friend Daisy. It is remarkable how quickly they heal if they are taken care of. I guess you were able to set the broken bone and splint it. What a sad thing for you and her. I hope it will heal quickly and that she will be able to walk again.

  7. D and KJune 12, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    This has been very helpful since today we found “Dotty’s” (she looks just like sweetpea) feathers spread over a couple of acres. We finally found her alive but in pretty bad shape. No feathers on her back or butt. Caring for her is no problem as we are also licensed wild bird rescuers/rehabbers. What we don’t know is if one of our herding dogs did the damage or a natural predator. These dogs have herded our cows, sheep and even the chickens for years. Now I feel like I am punishing “Maggie” a rescue Australian Shepherd without knowing if she did the damage. Doubt it was a coon since it happened mid day(?). Maybe a coyote but they generally kill in minutes. Until I figure it out the chickens and the dogs will be separated. Thanks for the forum, advice and letting me vent

  8. LeeJune 13, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    Ohhhhh, poor Dottie. Chickens are so vulnerable, from hawks above, and four-legged critters on the ground. Our neighbor just had their hen attacked by a fox who lives in the “open space” behind our homes. The attack looked just like the dog’s attack, broken wing and loss of flesh on back. Perhaps that is what did the damage, rather than “Maggie”. Good luck in finding the culprit.

  9. LizJuly 25, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    We let our chickens roam, and have NEVER had a problem. For more than two years. Tonight, two dogs got on our property – 5 acres – and killed 2 of our chickens, injured a third, scared a fourth so bad I removed her from the group, and our barred rock is missing. We found a bunch of her feathers on the ground, but cannot find her. Any advice on how to find a possibly injured chicken? The chickens that were dead or injured lost a LOT of feathers, so I think our sweet Barbie is likely in hiding and we just can’t find her. I did call animal control, and since the dog was still running loose at 10 tonight she’ll likely be out all night and animal control will get a call from the owner. I am so saddened by this, and just don’t know what else to do. We lost two of our marans, a blue and a black, and an EEer was injured pretty badly. I will get some antibiotics tomorrow, but have poured liquid probiotics all over the wound as well as used homeopathy and calendula, and I gave her some fermented cod liver oil and minerals to boost her immune system. Thanks for listening. I’m so sad, and my kids are heartbroken.

  10. LeeAugust 4, 2014 at 6:05 am

    I didn’t see your comment until this morning. I’m sure you have found the lost hen by now and hope she was not killed. I love dogs and went to some lengths teaching our two labradoodles to leave our feathered family alone. I’d like to hear what animal control did in your area because when we had a hen nearly torn apart, they cited the dogs owner for not having a license! Not enough in my opinion. Of course, they told me to report it if it happened again. AGAIN? They also told me that the dog owner would have to pay for the any hens distroyed. Gads, my hens are priceless!!!! I only have three hens now and don’t want to lose any!
    It is really hearrbreaking hearing about the dogs getting on your property. Five acres should be more than enough to allow your chickens to free-range. Please let me know how all this came out. Dogs running loose are a real threat to backyard chickens.

  11. JoeDecember 11, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I have a hen that has a large chunk of skin torn off by I’m guessing a hawk. My dog interrupted whatever was attacking her.
    I can see her ribs. She has been eating and drinking fairly well. I put her in a box in my shop to isolate her from the other chickens, and I have been using a foam product for open wounds that I purchased from Orshlen. I have some penicillin that I use for other livestock, and gave her a dose today. the attack happened two days ago.
    Can anyone advise me what to do? I think I should keep a moist, sterile bandage on it, but what are the chances that the wound will close with such a large section of skin missing?

  12. LeeDecember 17, 2014 at 8:56 am

    I’m sorry I got this nearly a week after you posted so I’m writing this to give you support. It looks like you’ve gotten a start on treating your girl.
    Chickens can be remarkable healers if kept by themselves as you have done. We wrapped our damaged hen with “vet tape” after covering the wound with gauze and neosporin. We changed the bandage every other day. While the skin does not grow back, large areas of scar tissue eventually covered it. The biggest danger is other chickens pecking at her. Please let me know the results.

  13. S & KJanuary 5, 2015 at 11:20 am

    We have two backyard chickens that are our pets, as well as egg-layers. They are kept predator-proof when locked in at night. We’d gotten comfortable with letting them out to free range in the back yard (enclosed with a 6 foot privacy fence) while we were at home.

    Yesterday I heard extreme squawking and looked out to see feathers flying and what looked like a cat furiously shaking our older hen. I ran out, screaming, to find that a dog had her. It would not let go until my husband ran out and shouted in a deep voice at it.

    The owner/neighbor was outside the gate saying “what can I do?” By then we were traumatized and in shock, and the hen had disappeared. We didn’t know how if she was alive or dead and needed to find her.

    The owner kept trying to explain – the dog jumped the fence, I don’t know how she knew you had chickens, etc. My husband just said to take the dog and go home. I replied angrily to keep the dog in the house or on a leash at all times.

    We finally found our hen wedged in a tiny space between the rain barrel and the house. After a couple of hours she walked stiffly to where our other hen was foraging. She had feathers missing from her back but aside from the shock and trauma appeared to be OK. She roosted last night and came down for food and water this morning.

    During our search for her the neighbor had come back to say I’m sorry, we will buy you another chicken! I could not talk to her, but my husband did not accept the apology and said “I have to go find my chicken.” (She said they planned to send the dog back to the place they had rescued the dog from. We’ll see.)

    This hen is our pet. “I’m sorry” and the offer of another chicken doesn’t cut it. We were sick with shock, not knowing what we would find.

    Like you, we have new chicken rules. They simply can’t free range any more unless one of us is actively watching them. We may have to consider getting a hen- and kid-friendly dog to help watch them. We knew they were vulnerable creatures, but this attack was unexpected.

    Thank you for writing about this issue and confirming that we’re not crazy to feel the way we do about our hens.

  14. LeeJanuary 8, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Thank you S & K for sharing your story. Thank goodness you were able to save your pet. I don’t think that people can always understand our attachment to chickens. They are our pets. We love and care for them and they show attachment to us.
    Your neighbor was negligent in letting the dog off the leash. She is responsible for any damage that might do. That doesn’t help, does it. But at least she was sorry and expressed that. Forgive her mistake if you can. I’m sure she has learned from it.
    Our hens are never completely safe. Neither are we for that matter! Enjoy your girls, let them enjoy you. Keep them safe as possible.
    P.S. We have two labradoodles and still a dog was able to get in and attack “Sweetpea”. I don’t think having a dog of your own is necessarily the answer. Mistakes just happen.

  15. JennJanuary 8, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    My parents have a coop with an nice closed in run. Until a few nights ago… We believe a predator bird got in through a small gap where the heat lamp is kept for colder nights. One hen is MIA and the other severely wounded. The wounded is the momma hen and is also my daughters. A huge chuck (nearly the size of my palm to whole hand) of her feathers/ skin has been torn off just under one of her wings. We didn’t know proper triage until researching since the event as we have only had the chickens for almost a year now. But I’m wondering if she will survive or if we’re making her suffer but not putting her down. She’s drinking, eating, pooping and cooing a little more each day but with this flap of skin no longer there can she still survive? She’s honestly all of our favorite and my daughter would understand but be heartbroken. We have used the purple spray, heat, cleaned and wrapped the wound. Etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

  16. AlexFebruary 18, 2015 at 8:12 pm

    Today as I was getting ready for work, I heard a terrible noise. I looked outside and there were feathers everywhere. I ran outside to find my dog had attacked a hen who had escaped the coop. She is missing all her tail feathers, and back. She has no skin from the bottom of her neck down to her bottom. I cannot afford to take her to the vet. I am in school right now, only working part time at a minimum wage job, we just moved to a completely different town, and I have spent over $600 dollars alone in vet bills in the last 3 months. I need to know what I could do to help my hen possibly get better without the vet. She has already gotten up and gone back into the coop, and the other hens gave her a laying box to sleep in. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! I’m so worried.

  17. msautterFebruary 22, 2015 at 8:15 am

    My dog got a hold of one of my chickens. Doesn’t look good. I am seeing a lot of her back and wing. What can I do to help her

  18. susanSeptember 11, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    our neighbors dog got in to our fenced in coop yard, and killed four of our chicks… we are devastated and having a hard time getting over this.. we are happy to say that two of the chicks got away, and came home after a couple hours.. they hid in the woods. this dog lives next door and it is my greatest fear that this will be an on-going problem when he breaks out of his yard. the neighbor is in denial.
    very upsetting and we feel violated. my 5 year old granddaughter found the dog in the pen

  19. LeeSeptember 14, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    I’m so sorry to hear of this incident. Really heartbreaking! The dog will probably return. You have to make your coop dog-proof, fox proof, raccoon-proof, hawk-proof, etc. in order to keep them safe. Your neighbors will have to replace your chicks (I know that doesn’t help) but at least they know that they are responsible and there are consequences for their actions. I am sorry to hear of your loss. We do become so attached to these vulnerable creatures and it is sad that they have to be so restricted and under our watchful eye.

  20. Jennie NeuronSeptember 30, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    My chicken was just attacked too. šŸ™ sad!! I don’t want her to suffer. She has a few puncture wounds, lost all her butt feathers. Should we try to put an antibiotic cream on the wounds and tape her up with vet wrap? Where did you get the antibiotics? A vet?

  21. LilOctober 8, 2015 at 6:46 am

    Recently my many dogs attacked my hen she is badly hurt , her sister was killed by one of them when she was quite young , i love my hen and im pretty sure she loves me . I was so scared as they broke in her coop and practically feathered her . She has many large wounds as it was more than one dog . She is isolated in a large cardboard box in the house i feed her eggs and she has lots of water but she does not seem to eat much or hardly anything at all . her whole body is large masses of cuts thta i treat with bnt powder and creams . she hardly moves or stays awake i called my vet but they dont treat chcikens . I have no idea what else to do . and i want her to make it out ok . Anybody have any suggestions or ideas that could help my much loved layer hen (she is also quite old but still occasionally lays . šŸ™‚

  22. Anne-Marie (UK)October 10, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    Have just started keeping chickens, love them. I have four on a private garden/plot directly opposite to my house.I have spent hours preparing their new home with a large enclosed run. I decide to give them more space to roam and extended the run with chicken fencing around the garden. Yesterday I returned home to find two chickens missing and the fencing broken.I found Betty she was fine, but my beloved boss hen Florence was missing and some feather were on the ground. A neighbour told me a dog of the lead was chasing the hens in the garden.Florence appeared out of the bushes, she was hurt, scared and her wing looked damaged.Today she is quiet not her usual bossy self but she has eaten a couple of worms and her favorite blackberries hopefully she will be OK. I am annoyed with the dog owner, but many walkers leave their dogs off the lead going past the house. I have definitely learned from this and will keep my hens secure in their run when I am out.

  23. Cortney lynnNovember 25, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    Hello thus morning one of my chickens got out of a hkoe in my chicken coop. Thanks to my pig he did it. Anyways one of my dogs my bigger dog got one of my hens and I heard it I came running and yelling he stopped immediately. Thank God. I grabbed her up and she was still alive thank God.she is alert and everything I offered water and she drank it she ate from my hands. Well my dog grabbed her feathers and skin under her left wing and not a little a lot she seems to be OK. If I just keep her warm and give her meds and clean her wound will she be OK. She happens to be my favorite one.

  24. Laura VargasFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:53 am

    Hello, I have just read your post and Im wondering, how did you get your dogs to learn to leave the chickens alone? I have a pup just turned 1 yesterday but she keeps chasing them. I have bought 2 chicks for her to get to know them and hopefully so that she gets bored and stop chasing animals, but she will leave the chicks alone and go for unattended chickens outside. What can I do?

  25. RodneyFebruary 22, 2016 at 8:46 am

    Also had dog problem. They killed my rooster and terrified my hens. They have not laid an egg since. Is there anything I can do to get them to start laying again. It’s been about six weeks now.

  26. LeeFebruary 22, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    Your hens were probably stressed and will eventually begin laying again. Poor rooster. He was probably trying to protect the hens. Since it is still winter, the hens may take time to recuperate. Give them more protein like: meat scraps, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.. Good luck. Our attack didn’t happen again. I’m just careful to keep our gate closed when the girls are free-ranging in the garden.

  27. LeeFebruary 22, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    Laura….. Our labradoodles were pretty easy to train. I started by keeping them on a long “training leash”. I’d let them walk around but if they went near the hens, I’d jerk the lead and say “leave it”. This took about an hour a day for a week. Dogs chase chickens because they run. It’s natural. When the chickens are no longer afraid of the dogs, the dogs can’t “enjoy the chase.”

  28. JanaMarch 8, 2016 at 5:25 am

    Two dogs jumped the fence into our yard yesterday morning and killed one of our hens, injured another. The injured hen has several bald patches where her feathers were ripped out, but I don’t see big puncture wounds. She was a little lame to begin with, so it’s difficult to assess her gait/balance. I’m hoping she’s just kind of in shock and will recover. Our animal control took the matter very seriously, and took the dogs away. We were able to get in touch with the owner, as the dogs were tagged, and part of what really got us and the animal control officers upset is that the owner didn’t offer any kind of apology at all. That makes me think he won’t work to contain them without being forced to do so.

  29. RyanMarch 10, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    My friends dog came to play with my dog but when he was let of his leash he ran and atacked all of my 11 chickens but luckily only one got ingured.
    The chicken got most of its butt feathers ripped out. It took me a whole hour to find all of the chickens in the woods

  30. LeeMarch 12, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Domestic dogs kill more chickens than wild predators. It’s really not their fault, they’re just doing what comes naturally. When people tell us they’re bringing their dog, I make sure that chickens are securely locked up. I’m glad to hear that your girls all survived.

  31. LeeMarch 12, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    Glad that animal control got involved. We never got an apology either, but animal control did tell the owner of the dog she was financially responsible for damage. That seemed to be enough, in her case. Paying for damage, though, isn’t really a compensation. I don’t want to be paid for a lost hen, I want the hen! These girls are our pets. We can’t replace them.

  32. MeganApril 3, 2016 at 10:12 pm

    I have 19 chickens right now, and my pitbull used to chase the chickens when they were out. She killed 2 of them when she was a puppy. It’s our job to make sure the chickens are safe, it really sucks when people let their dogs roam, but if they are apologizing a bunch, I think it’s pretty rude to totally snub them like that. They obviously felt bad, unlike some people who just shrug n say oh well just chickens. So if they do apologize at least give them a break. I know that’s an old post but for people reading this in the future. Don’t hate them if they’re sorry. I trained my dog to leave the chickens. Took about 2 months of her on a lead and me being very dominant about those chickens are MINE and she is not to touch them. I went to let my 6 roosters out to forage, and she was standing at the gate, and they ran between her legs and under her. I am configure will not attack them or go after them in my presence. But, I don’t trust her alone. Those feathery floppy things are just SO fun to play with. She never even marked up the ones she killed. I think she broke their necks playing. Sigh. I still won’t let them out while she’s out if I’m inside. I do whatever I need to to try and keep everyone safe.

    Even when you try hard and do everything right… I have a 4 month old rooster in the kitchen because it was really windy today and I think a branch fell from a tree and hit him. He is walking funny and acting dizzy. There was a tiny but of blood on his head and wing, but nothing seems broken that I can tell. He walks, just wobbly. He eats and drinks fine. Hoping a few days inside will fix him up. He loves the scrambled eggs and attention.

  33. BeverlyApril 26, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    My handsome rooster Jack has been exhibiting signs of fear after experiencing 3 stressful events in about a month. We have only two chickens, Jack and Babe the hen. We rescued Jack last fall after he was dumped alongside a backroad where we walk our dogs. We got two hens who were being culled from their flock. We have a small coop in a corner of our barn which we lock up at night. They have a grassy run about 32′ x 88′ which they can access any time during daylight hours. We hv a good fence around the run but it’s only 4′ high. Jack can fly up and over into our backyard. After the snow melted he did and our dog grabbed him. He lost feathers but recovered. We hoped he would be afraid to fly over after that but no such luck. Some weeks later the dogs caught him and pulled many feathers but no other injury. While he was recovering he protected Babe from hawk attack w/o injury to either. Then he began an infrequent but unusual behavior of crouching down with chest to ground and stepping carefully backward like ducking from a threat. And within a couple days we had night time fierce lightning and thunder storm with strong winds and pelting rain. They were safe in the coop, but Jack has been afraid of his shadow ever since. Doesn’t come out to scratch and peck in the run, hides in the coop and crouches and moonwalks a lot. He is eating and crowing occasionally. He doesn’t seem to be doing his rooster dance around Babe and she hasn’t laid an egg for 5 days. How can we help this fine fellow?

  34. roxanneMay 6, 2016 at 10:23 am

    Hi,
    My beautiful chicken was attacked by one of my dogs yesterday. its a small dog and she got her by the head, she was bleeding in the back of her head and i cleaned the area and put some medicine on it. She is not bleeding anymore but her beak is open and she doesn’t want food or water. Today she is just laying in my room with her eyes close. My question is should I take her to the vet or give it a couple more days to see if she is doing better. I just don’t know what the vet would do for her and if its worth the cost.
    please advise soonā€¦
    thank you

  35. ALYSONMay 12, 2016 at 8:00 am

    I live in Orcutt which is a little outside city limits but really still city looking, we have our 6 chickens in a run with a coop and they are locked by the side of our house by my bedroom window but can go from coop to run with no block, it was 4:45am and still dark, I was woken up from a dead sleep from squaking which they never do that early so I went running, and there were feathers everywhere and the chickens were trying to run out when I opened the gate, I got them all up in the laying boxes and turned off the flashlight, a min later I see 2 yellow eyes on the top of the 6 foot fence and I turn on the light right at it, it was a raccoon, I screamed and it ran away, I stuck them in an enclosed coop for the night, these last couple of days ive been locking the in the other inclosed coop and setting a trap, no raccoon yet. I let them into the run with during the day with the laying boxes, since that night ive noticed that theres only 2 eggs (usually 6 or so) and they have a hole looks like pecked into the top but the egg is still in there? are they doing this? why? will it stop? does anyone know?

  36. LeeMay 29, 2016 at 5:48 am

    Oh my. We too are having trouble with a chicken eating her eggs (or just pecking a hole in the top). I’ve had trouble with this only once in the past. I put “fake” golf balls in the nest and after a peck or two, they stopped. It is not working for me this time around.
    In your case, it may just be the result of stress from their “near miss” with the raccoon. Most chicken folks say the only thing to do is “dispatch” the hen that is pecking her eggs. In other words, kill her. I don’t think I can do this. First, I must find out who is doing it.

  37. LeeMay 29, 2016 at 5:54 am

    This is a hard one. When I got my first chicks 8 years ago, my husband said, “No vets for chickens”. I tried to follow his advice. I’ve been able to “nurse” sick and injured chickens. I’d put her in a small cage, feed and water her with a eye dropper and let nature take its course. This is a hard one. Good luck to you and your sweet hen.

  38. LeeMay 29, 2016 at 6:02 am

    Poor guy. Sounds like he’s been traumatized by recent events. Chickens get frightened easily. Try to spend some time with him by coaxing him out in the run, and hand-feeding treats from kitchen scraps. He may come around. Best of luck with your “big guy”.

  39. MichaelaJuly 10, 2016 at 6:43 pm

    Hey just a quick question this just happened to me but my hen is younger and has opened wound on her belly .. I have her all wrapped up in vet wrap she is having trouble moving so I have been giving her water with a syringe and feeding her by hand. She seems like she is going to survive. But it just happened today so I don’t know we will see. Just curious what antibiotic did you use?

  40. Billie High-TruebloodJuly 16, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    Hi friend,I have had the same thing happen with one of my hen’s can you give me more specific’s about what antibiotic’s to use and how to bind a wing.The hen is falling to one side and she has some scratches and lost a lot of feathers.Please if you could send me photo’s or some direction’s.I’d appreciate it.Thank you Billie

  41. KatelynAugust 9, 2016 at 9:54 am

    I just had it happen with my dog she’s an asstrailen Shepard sorry I’m a kid so I don’t now how to spell everything

  42. FeliciaAugust 11, 2016 at 2:26 pm

    I just had a dog attack one of my chicks, she is about 2 months old. The dog pulled her feathers off her back but when she stands she falls over. But does put weight on her legs. Could that be a wing issue? If so how do I tape it up? I really dont want to have to put her down my boys would be heart broken.

  43. LeeAugust 28, 2016 at 6:50 am

    I used neosporin ointment but have heard that treating it with a product called Betadine is good. It will help it to dry up.

  44. LeeAugust 28, 2016 at 6:52 am

    Don’t give up. As long as she is eating and drinking water, she will survive!I just wrapped vet tape around her whole body a few times and changed the dressing every other day. Good luck!

  45. LeeAugust 28, 2016 at 6:58 am

    Katelyn…..Sorry to hear about your Australian Shepard attacking your chicken. You will have to spend time training her/him.

  46. LeeAugust 28, 2016 at 6:59 am

    I’m too late to be of help. Did your hen survive? Hope so.

  47. ChristyOctober 11, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    My sweet hen got hit by a car bout an hour ago. Her beak is chipped broken wing but no other injuries we can see. I’m afraid she’s bleeding internally. There’s no vet hospitals open to take her to. My husband and I both cried when we found her. He’s wrapped her in a warm towel and has held her since we found her. We don’t know what to do

  48. LeeOctober 29, 2016 at 8:57 am

    I just checked comments for the first time in three weeks. We’ve been traveling in Ireland. It makes me so sad to hear of your hen being hit by a car. There is probably not much a vet could have done if she had internal damage. I don’t believe an ordinary vet knows much about saving chickens unless you can find a bird specialist in your area. By now, your hen has probably passed away (wrapped in a warm towel to keep her comfortable). Or perhaps she survived. I do hope so. Please let me know.

  49. Vetres LivengoodJanuary 11, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    One of our pet chickens was attacked today. Her neck in front
    is torn open. is there anything we can do to save her? What would attack her from the front of her neck?

  50. LeeJanuary 12, 2017 at 8:33 am

    Oh, poor thing. Rats will sometimes attack chickens at night while they are roosting. A small animal will just grab at anything they can.
    Chickens will sometimes just give up and die but I’ve had good luck separating them in a cage and trying to patch them up. If it is just skin that is torn you can put it back in place and try to secure it. Check it every day. It is worth a try. At least you’ve done your best to save her. Let me know how this turns out.

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