Help! Dog bit chicken skin and feathers gone!

[newchickenmomma2021]

So sorry about your injured chicken. I had one attacked by a neighbor’s dog once, and she was not nearly missing so much skin, fat, and feathers. She did recover, but never laid normally again. As others have said, use chlorhexidene or Vetericyn to spray wounds, and plain antibiotic ointment twice a day to keep wounds moist until they heal. Use clean towels for bedding, so she doesn’t get bedding into her wounds. I probably would use antibiotics if possible. Amoxicillin (Aqua Mox available for fish and online) 250 mg twice a day is good. Get vet care if possible and affordable. She will need a lot of TLC for weeks until she hopefully recovers. She may have internal injuries that could be serious. Feed her fresh mushy watery chicken feed, scrambled egg or tuna, and canned cat food can be alternated for nutrition. Good luck.

Hi there, our lil chicken is still alive and eating very well, drinking water, and I medicate her many wounds 2-3 times a day. Of course she is still in our kennel in the garage as her wounds are SO extensive!
I’m curious as to how long it took for your chicken to begin to recover. When did her skin grow back & when was she able to re-integrate with the rest of the flock? Did she grow back feathers?

 

[theoldchick]

The last time I rehabbed a hen with injuries like that, it took about three months. I had to make sure all her feathers had grown back to prevent the flock from pecking at exposed skin. She might have returned a bit sooner but she had a mini-molt during her recovery.