Bantams are terrified of everything and anything- what to do?

9_OddHens

Chirping
Sep 5, 2020
50
96
86
Manitoba Canada
Seriously gang... I need advice here.
My 4 month old Bantams (& 3 Orpinton hens, same age) used to all come to me and sleep on my lap and look for attention (accept the Silkies, they've always been useless lol) but now they are all terrified of me.
We had a racoon attack about 2 weeks ago.... almost all of my birds witnessed a couple of the older birds get chased off and killed... so I can see how that would have put everyone on edge... but c'mon... I move to change water, there's chaos. I fill a feeder, there's chaos. I clean out a box, or clean off a poop shelf... chaos.
Always chaos.

Its come to the point where I actually feel depressed going into their pen & coop. Unless I sit completely still there's chaos... If I move AT ALL the Silkies lose their bloody minds and scream like 2 year old kids in a fight over candy... the rest of them run around in circles flapping their wings and just freak out in general. They run away from me like I'm going to eat them!
My older birds (other side of the barn & separated) don't react like that and they saw the racoon attack too- they lost 2 of their friends in it... but its business as usual for them. I don't get it.

How do I help the bantams get over this?! I can't handle feeling like this every time I go in there :hit


I do not look like a racoon btw... incase any of you smarty pants out there were going to ask :p
 
Is there any way you can get them into a separate area (without them getting hysterical) while you're doing chores? Maybe if they can watch what you're doing without feeling threatened, they'll gradually calm down.
Otherwise, I can only suggest what's recommended with scared dogs - ignore them, avoid eye contact, no sudden movements, and spend quiet time with them reading or whatever. I confess I'm speculating, no actual experience with your problem. My sympathies!
 
When I have a bird that freaks out a lot I spend more time with it and give them mealworms. I try to keep to a schedule cause chickens are creatures of habit sooner or later they do bond with you.
i sit with them every single morning (I've done it since they hatched) and I sit again with them several times throughout the day.... they used to hang around me and coo and snuggle and fall asleep on my lap and shoulders. Id be able to move around and everyone would just be chill on roosts or dust bathing.... but about 2 weeks ago everything just turned into teenage angst whenever I'm around them. All I can think of is the racoon attack, but I dunno. :confused:

I have 12 of them, so spending quality time with each one would take me all day... I was just going with the group love stuff, maybe i should just focus on the Silkies for a bit? they're the worst of the bunch
 
First, I want to say that I'm sorry you lost your 2 chickens. Raccoons are no joke.

Second, I'm wondering if maybe the Silkies are setting the others off? I know in my flock, when the Silkies who are both very small - even for Silkies - start up, the rest of the flock follows suit. They are the noisiest ones I have by far. I wonder if their panicking makes the others think there's another predator around???

Your idea of focusing on them makes sense, if that's the case.
 
Mine did the same thing after I carried them out to the garden and carried them back. Of course, I had to catch/pick them up to do that. It affected the flightier leghorns far more than the calmer australorps even though I didn't even try to catch the leghorns. I think it is a very important survival instict.

It lasted about three weeks. Then about a week of transition. Then they were back to much like they were before the "trauma

For that three weeks, I moved slower and as predictably as possible. And made a point of giving them time to move out of corners... or away from anywhere they felt threatened. But I still moved around in their coop as much as I had all along.

I don't know if the timing is an instinct-diven thing too or if it would vary much depending on how gently the taming went.

There is hope they will return to much like they were before. Good luck.
 

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