Dog attack :(

[mollteaser]

My little legbar is an escape artist, and keeps getting out of the pen. Today my mum's dog found her in the garden ( didn't know my back door was open). Said dog is Staffordshire/pointer cross, and had flushed out and killed game in the fields. So I feel fairly lucky that the dog only managed to hold her by the tail. No shaking, just carrying. My daughter ( 10) found the dog and shouted for help, scaring the dog....dog dropped hen...hen ran away sharpish. I found her huddled up and hiding. I've given her a thorough going over, no blood, or broken bones, lots of feathers on the lawn. I held the hen for 10 minutes, as she was trembling....and popped her back in the small wir, that's in the big pen...she's walking fine, and pecked some bits off the floor. She's in the Eglu now.
Do you think she'll be ok...or will I find a dead hen in the morning? She seems fine now.....unlike my daughter, who's had an asthma attack from the shock bless her. Any advice, gratefully received....oh, and I'm.going to.find out how the little madam is escaping over a 6ft fence!

 

[Chuck]

The chicken should be fine, I'd concentrate on your daughter !

 

[mollteaser]

Daughter.is fine thanks...this happened an hour ago...she's a tendency to asthma when stressed. She's had het.inhaler, and recovered. She let's the hens out in the morning, so want to be prepared....

 

[Marigold]

oh, and I'm.going to.find out how the little madam is escaping over a 6ft fence!

My little Legbar is a brilliant flyer, and although she does mostly stay at ground level with the rest of them now she's adult, i would think your Legbar could easily fly over a 6ft fence. Maybe you need a netting or mesh top to your run? A fox can easily get in over a 6ft fence as well, especially if there's anywhere nearby to give it a leg-up.

 

[mollteaser]

Thanks...I'll invest in something...can't bear the thought of that happening again. They have a secure walk in run, in the fenced in pen....but honestly! I've done a wing clip, didn't realise she could fly do.high!

 

[karminski]

glad everything is ok now and i hope all will be well in the morning , best thing to do for your chock is leave her in the warm and make sure she is left were its queit i had an accident with one of mine back in the summer and it scared the death though me someone told me to leave the chock well alone so she was cosy and quiet and although it took a few weeks for her t recover from injuries she was fine the follwoing morning .

fruit cage netting is plenty strong enough and it doesnt have to cost a fortune it coems in different sizes as well .

 

[daniellesdogs]

they bounce back quite well. my duck was quite badly damaged by my dog but year an half later in tip top waddling round the garden. after all the nursing i did shes quit soicable and come to me and does comands which is great as others follow her

 

[mollteaser]

Than you for your reassureance. I have a staffordshire bull terrier, and she gets on quite well with the hens! I think she was pecked a couple of times..and learned her lesson! Gertie seemed ok, I was just worried that she might die over night....we'll see..go.gets crossed x

 

[Chuck]

Plastic fruit netting is good for topping a run and will keep the chickens in but of course, won't keep a fox out.

 

[mollteaser]

The hens are only allowed to free range when I'm home...otherwise they're in the walk in run. Which is a metal framed greenhouse, with solid metal mesh on concrete slabs. I'm not worried about foxes currently....