Graphic Picture

[Eryniel]

It’s been a bad day in my household. I bought a couple 2 month pullets yesterday, and placed them inside the coop in a crate. I thought that would be okay. I either underestimated their desire to get out, or the others desire to get at them. Idk. I came home to the crate overturned and all my new ones dead.
They have almost an acre and were free ranging.
I took care of it and went inside to make supper, then came outside and found one of my laying pullets just torn up. Most of my chicks look fine, with the exception of one Barred rock cockerel. Do I have a cannibalistic roo? Could it have been a cat? I used to have a problem with cats when I first moved in, but they don’t come around anymore. Could it have been some other wildlife? I’m devastated, and not sure what my next steps should be. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[tinkerjessica]

I don't personally know but I am sorry for your losses!! That is a hard day!!

 

[Eryniel]

Thank you ... it’s been a rough two weeks.

 

[Trellinius]

I don't know what it was, but judging from the pic my guess is it was not your other chickens. I have never seen chickens concentrate the wound all in one place, nor go as deep as what is seen in the pic. So my guess is it was some other critter. Doesn't look like weasel either....
Sorry for your loss, though.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry. Can you clarify a little more what exactly happened? There were two new pullets and how big was your existing flock? Could a predator have gotten to the crate in the coop? So one of the free ranging pullets was found with that deep wound in the photo and that happened after the crate attack? My hunch is a predator, but we need more info. Hugs to you!

 

[Eryniel]

I had a total of 18 chickens in a coop roughly 12 x 6 (I have an extension almost finished, which will give them more room) and I had 3 new pullets inside crates like this:

(They are moved from where I originally placed/found them)

I let them freerange so the new ones should have been left alone I thought, but came home to them overturned and the chickens back plucked, and a few gouges on the neck of one. They looked like the others had attacked and plucked them, so I’m confident it was the others because they were new. Devastating, but at least it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is the others were fine, so after settling everything, I went inside to make supper for my hubby and myself. I come out a little later, and find my laying hen as you see in my original post. She does NOT look like the other chicks - she looks skinned. But I’m at a loss as to whether it was my roo turning cannibal, or possibly the others, having gotten a taste for chicken, or a predator. She was inside the coop when I found her, and all the others were also in or near the coop (it was dusk, but still quite light out). And she was pretty high on the pecking order, as well. Top one or two.
I do have a roo, but everytime I have seen him, he’s been good to my girls, always tidbitting and wingdancing. I hate to think it was him, but if it was a predator, wouldn’t the others have let me know? I didn’t hear a single squawk from them, and none of them were fluffed up, or seemed preturbed at all...

 

[Trellinius]

I had a total of 18 chickens in a coop roughly 12 x 6 (I have an extension almost finished, which will give them more room) and I had 3 new pullets inside crates like this: View attachment 1346377
(They are moved from where I originally placed/found them)
..

How and why did you expect the pullets to stay in crates like that? Did you have them upside down and staked into the ground? Did you have them right side up with something to cover the top?

Unless they were quite secure the chickens would have been able to escape...but the fluttering and commotion of doing so would have frightened and agitated the whole flock, leading to abnormal and even aggressive behaviors....