A pyramid of chickens..

[sara1226]

So I had to leave for work today, and half way through the day I asked my dad to stop over and check on the chickens (about 11:15am). He did and said they were fine, foraging in the 20ft x 10ft run (attached to our coop).

I came home to find ALL (7) of the chickens hiding in the corner of the coop, piled on top of each other. It was obvious to me something was wrong, as a few would only come out of the formation they were in for a split second to grab some treats, then the went right back again.

I'm thinking a predator was around, and maybe tried to grab somebody......?

The way they positioned themselves was very interesting to me. I'm not sure it was intentional. The newest,youngest, and lowest of the pecking order- pullet was tucked away in the bottom, so much I didn't see her at first, and thought she was missing. Next were the chickens in the middle of the pecking order. The two that run the roost, oldest, and are the leaders were on the outside, almost as if they were guarding the rest.

There was only two spots of the run that were not completely covered by thick trees. Over one spot I placed some rope netting, and the other spot I put out a very large patio umbrella I wasn't using.

I saw no animal tracks around. So I thought maybe it was an eagle or hawk.

Now the problem is my chickens only come out into the run while I am there.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

-Sara

 

[thomasboyle]

You've got a smart flock of chickens! When a predator comes around my flock, I usually end up with a pile of feathers! Happy to hear they are all safe.

If you had a predator, it will be back, so I would lock them up for a few days. I also recommend borrowing or getting a trail camera. It has a motion sensor, and takes pictures whenever it detects movements. I have 3 setup, one on the far sides of the yard where it meets the woods, and another one right outside the chicken yard. Here's a picture from the camera nearest the chicken yard. No losses in 2 year thanks to electric fencing.

 

[sara1226]

Thanks for the advice. That's pretty scary. There were no tracks around the coop (ground is damp, so I looked for prints), so I was thinking it was a flying preditor. Glad you are so successful at having no losses.

I'm afraid to leave tomorrow now.

 

[ccrow]

Sounds like it could have been a hawk or such... this spring I lost one of my pullets to one that came right down into the pen, and ate half of it right there. When I got home(after an absence of less than 1/2 hour) there was a big pile of feathers with half a pullet, and the other five birds were all underneath the coop as far away from that spot as they could get. I made a 'roof' for the pen out of odds and ends of chicken wire and plastic bird netting. At first they were pretty spooky but they got over it after a few uneventful days. Yours probably will too