then it got worse

chooks were good all day, yes they kept hiding on me and I did find 2 eggs under an ornamental grass. I was going in to check on them and Bailey ( the golden spaniel ). I should add before you read any further both dogs are chasers and I have been very careful about keeping them away from the hens, they can see them from the other side of a lattice fence , they can stick their noses in but thats as far as they can get Until............. he managed to get in before me he ran to the chickens but stopped sniffed and decided they weren't worth bothering about, well that was until I discovered skinny Minnie was out again and had managed to get into the area where the dogs have free access of course saphy was on that side and she took off after skinny Minnie and caught her. Tail feathers everywhere

Skinny Minnie is on the right and Ruby on the left. See no tail feathers.

 

Skinny Minnie managed to escape back into the garden again , the commotion prompted Bailey to chase the other two, pandemonium ruled managed to get Bailey out, now by this time the cat was stalking skinny Minnie who again managed to get in under all the shrubs and nettles, brambles etc. Dogs were barking, chickens were squawking I was shouting.

Managed to get the dogs in the house, went looking for skinny Minnie poor thing has lost all her tail feathers, I picked her up and cuddled her she chattered away, her wattle and comb were quite pale . I just quietly sat with her on my lap holding her and stroking her feathers till she calmed down a little I then, put her in the coop and she settled down. contacted the girl I got the hens from and she said to give her pro biotic yoghurt and to check her for cuts. So had to go into town at 8pm and look for probiotic yogurt, couldn't find any. In all three supermarkets no probiotic yogurts, don't they know this is good for a stressed hen and I had a stressed hen.

Came home and lifted skinny Minnie out of the coop and of course she has cuts all over the place, contact Mama Hen  again and another friend who keeps chickens, mama Hen told me to bathe the wounds and put antiseptic cream and cornflour on the wound  and to separate her from the other hens,( what!!) asked her to clarify, meanwhile my friend suggested covering the wound, so I bathed her wounds with salted water, dried them to stop the other chooks from pecking the wound. Though I must say they are very good they leave her alone. (She is the loner though) stuck an antiseptic wound dressing on it!  My friend also suggested that the chicken could well be dead in the morning as it will have gone into shock.

 Went to bed at 2 am trying to figure out what I can do now to stop her getting through the fence, the other two are two plump, she is thinner.

 

3 am online ordered windbreak wire mesh to cover the fence from Amazon.. 3.30 am put a bid on ebay for a 16 section puppy crate each section is 3 ft x 2 ft .

 

4 am bed

Another sleepless night and dreading the morning.

 

6 am dreading this I really am