- Jan 27, 2014
- 7
- 1
- 54
I had 6 EE's that we'd had for a year with no problems, but last week (coincidentally) while we were gone on vacation a raccoon (I think) climbed 10 feet up and got through a hole close to the bottom of our deck that we evidently forgot to cover and got 2 of our chickens. 2 nights later they came back and got 2 more. We're home now, and we've reinforced everything soundly, but my remaining 2 ladies are traumatized and while they seem mostly fine during the day, they're not wanting to roost in their coop at night. I generally don't shut them in, because we thought our pen was safe so we'd leave their pop door open, but since they're trying to roost anywhere else, I've shut them in the last 2 nights. Has anyone had experience with girls forgetting a bad experience and returning to normal roosting behavior? Should I re-coop train them and lock them in for a while? They usually free range during the day. Should I just continue to catch them and lock them in until they start going back on their own? They both layed eggs in the nest boxes in their coop today, so it seems like it's only night trauma. What do you think? Please be kind in your answers, I feel like a terrible chicken mom, and I'm KICKING myself for letting this happen to my girls.