Disaster struck today...Need advice

[hopin2havfun]

One of our sled dogs got loose and into our chicken house. He killed most of them. We only have 4 uninjured hens left. They are doing fine and life seems back to normal for them....(we have already gotten 3 eggs)however, of the save able attack victims (our mutt rooster and silkie hen) I need some advice. The rooster seems to have 2 flesh wounds he is standing (in the house in a kennel) has pooped twice....not eating yet. I think he is gonna make it just needs some TLC and a warm place to sleep until his wounds heal. The hen however has one large (4") gash in her back and one of her legs just wont work. It drags behind her when she tries to move. I would really like to save her because she is a great brood hen, she seems more mad than in shock...very tough for such a little thing. She has not eaten or pooped (although this only happened a few hours ago). I was thinking about using an old pair of panty hose to make a sling for her bad leg to keep it tucked up underneath her in hopes that if she broke it then it would heal more under her than behind her. I checked all the major bones and none of them feel broken. Does anyone have any advice? I have both of them in a large kennel in my house. I have offered them water with sugar and some chick vitamins in it and they were not interested, but I will keep trying. Can the hens' leg heal if it is dislocated?

Darn dog killed my best rabbit doe as well...bad day

thanks

[chickenista]

On the rooster.. treat the flesh wounds with comfrey salve or something and give him a quiet place to rest.

On the hen.. a sling etc.. would just cause her more stress.
Treat her back as best you can and wait and see until tomorrow.
It could be that the back wound tore a nerve or muscle that controls that leg.
If it does not seem better after a day or two at the most, put her down.

[hopin2havfun]

chickenista, I have some comfrey salve and was scared to use it because I didnt know if it would harm him if he ate it or if it forced the wounds to heal too fast then they wouldnt drain?

on the hen...the wound on her back seems to be only skin and fat..but i know there could be a lot of internal damage.

thanks

[LittleRedHen]

i agree with chickenista.

I had a chicken before with a bad leg and i have had a duck before with a bad leg. The duck i received free from someone and it didn't break it on my watch persay but the duck was practically starving because it just couldn't compete for food against the healthy ducks. On both animals they learned to use their bodies differently and adjusted to the poor limb but it created wounds that kept opening up and then scabbing. They looked bad. I finally put them both down. She might have just hurt a tendon which would heal but if something is broken I highly suggest putting her down

[hopin2havfun]

well, the hen died...but the roo looks like he is gonna make it. He started eating and drinking after 3 days in the house so we moved him and his kennel back out to the chicken house so he could still see his remaining ladies. We will leave him there until his wounds are completely healed and then turn him loose. Thanks for all the advice!

[Sanza]

So sorry you had problems.