The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: leaswood on October 30, 2013, 12:33:59 pm
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Two of my hens were attacked by a dog the other day whilst I was out and the hens were free ranging. One was attacked badly and was in obvious pain and I dispatched it.
The other is missing tail feathers and looks raw but no skin incursions or bites, she is eating and drinking but isnt mobile like she was and isnt her usual self. I cant tell if there is any pain though but it does look as though she may have a broken leg..
what should i do?
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Hi Leaswood. If she does have a broken leg she will have to be despatched as it won't mend. But that injury would be very obvious as the leg would take no weight at all and she would be hopping. It could be a foot or knee sprain and hot joints will tell you. Sometimes they can damage their hip joint and it takes a while to mend -we had an Orpington limping for 6 weeks due to jumping off the perch and trying to turn to get through the pop-hole in one movement. She was otherwise eating and drinking fine and couldn't have been in too much discomfort (she lived another 5 years to 7 1/2).
Where did the dog come from?
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I've had one caught by the tail by a young dog that looked bald and a bit red in the bum/back for a few weeks but it grew back and she settled down in a day or two.
I've also had a hen that was hopping lame after a log fell on her leg and trapped her - I kept her in a separate run for a few weeks til she was able to carry weight on the foot again and I wasn't sure if it was broken initially but as she was eating I gave her the chance and she became very tame and is still here, right as rain, a year or more later.
Personally if she's not got an obvious break ie at the wrong angle, I'd separate her into a small area where you can feed her without her having to move far, and see how she goes. It took mine quite a while to recover so sprains or bruising are obviously not overnight matters for hen legs. I'd take eating and drinking as the markers of hope, myself, and let her have time as long as those are still normal behaviours.