Behavior after pred attack

[jslater14]

We had something get in our coop a couple nights and kill 2 of our 5 girls. I found them the next morning dead in the coop, pretty slaughtered.

Our remaining girls took a couple days to start laying again (which I assume is normal) but they’ve just been sitting/laying on the run floor and i wanted to make sure that isn’t something to be concerned about. They are eating and roam the yard when let out, but I’ve just never seen them not come to the fence begging to be let out and just hanging out on the ground.

 

[lagrange chicks]

They miss the chicks that are gone, the attack I am sure scared them. Probably take awhile to get over. Did you solve the problem of something getting in?

 

[Mrs. K]

At night, it is almost always coons. They will be back.

 

[jslater14]

At night, it is almost always coons. They will be back.

Oh, it was back the next night. I actually saw it. Decided to walk out back to check on the girls and when I turned the porch lights on, I saw it’s shadow scurry away from the door, climb and sit on the top of our fence looking at me, then ran off.

It did look like a raccoon. Had a long, fluffy tail.

The 2 girls that were killed were left in the run and had been eaten badly, especially the breast area. Heads still in tact. Feathers EVERYWHERE.

Do raccoons not kill the whole flock? Just wondered why the other 3 were spared.

Do the other girls know when one is attacked? I just feel so awful thinking there were all in there scared while the 2 were being attacked. Do they just sit in the coop and wait?

 

[jslater14]

They miss the chicks that are gone, the attack I am sure scared them. Probably take awhile to get over. Did you solve the problem of something getting in?

Yes. My husband secured the run as best we could and we added one of those automatic coop doors that close during the night

 

[DLA]

Sorry for your losses! They're probably pretty stressed, it might take a bit for them to get back to acting normal. Adding motion sensor lights, making sure no food is left out anywhere near or in the coop or run at night, making sure any weak points are reinforced and don't use any latches that coons can open, they're very clever and strong. Coons will keep coming back as long as they think they might get a meal. You can also put out a cheap trail cam or something similar so you can see where the coons are trying to get in.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Do raccoons not kill the whole flock? Just wondered why the other 3 were

A group of raccoons is often a family of females, and yes they will tend to kill the entire flock even if they don't eat them all. A single raccoon is often a male. The raccoon that killed your 2 hens was probably a male that only killed what he ate that night. But he would have kept coming back until he killed and ate them all.

Do the other girls know when one is attacked? I just feel so awful thinking there were all in there scared while the 2 were being attacked. Do they just sit in the coop and wait?

Yes they knew their flockmates were being attacked, and that is why your survivors were/are stressed and depressed. Chickens can't see in the dark to try and escape; all they can do is listen fearfully to the slaughter taking place. I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, but it's the truth of what occurs during a nighttime flock kill. And it is a sad tragedy that repeats itself over and over again on this forum. Just make sure nothing can get into their coop again, and eventually their former personalities and behaviors will return. I'm sorry that you lost two, but glad you didn't lose them all. And I'm sorry for the trauma your survivors experienced too.

 

[jslater14]

A group of raccoons is often a family of females, and yes they will tend to kill the entire flock even if they don't eat them all. A single raccoon is often a male. The raccoon that killed your 2 hens was probably a male that only killed what he ate that night. But he would have kept coming back until he killed and ate them all.

Yes they knew their flockmates were being attacked, and that is why your survivors were/are stressed and depressed. Chickens can't see in the dark to try and escape; all they can do is listen fearfully to the slaughter taking place. I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, but it's the truth of what occurs during a nighttime flock kill. And it is a sad tragedy that repeats itself over and over again on this forum. Just make sure nothing can get into their coop again, and eventually their former personalities and behaviors will return. I'm sorry that you lost two, but glad you didn't lose them all. And I'm sorry for the trauma your survivors experienced too.

I feel horrible regardless. They were our pets. I’m even harder on myself because I feel like it’s my responsibility to protect them and didn’t.

To be honest, I’m not sure how this hasn’t happened before now. We are first time chicken owners and living in the city, I just didn’t think we would have to worry about anything getting in. Hawks during the day are a different story and I’m very strict about supervision while they are roaming our yard.

My husband secured the run as best he could. We added the run-chicken automatic door. We have a side door on the coop with a slide latch that gives us easy access to the eggs in the boxes. I taped that down. The coop top opens up but it’s heavy, even for me. I can’t imagine an animal lifting it. I also started removing their food at night. Any other suggestions?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

How did the raccoon gain entrance into your coop? Is the coop inside your run, or attached to the run? When you say your husband secured the run as best as he could, what material is your run made of? (For example, chicken wire, welded wire, hardware cloth; etc) Does the run have any protection to prevent digging predators from gaining entrance? (Raccoons will also dig.) Can you post a photo of your coop? What did you tape the slide latch down with? If not extremely secure, a raccoon can easily remove tape and then slide the latch with their nimble hands to gain entrance. If you can remove the tape with your hands/fingers, then a raccoon likely can too. I know i asked a lot of questions, but I once read a quote on the Predators forum that I took to heart. "Never underestimate the tenacity of a hungry animal that wants to eat a chicken for dinner." It is necessary to be even more tenacious if we are to succeed in keeping our poultry safe.

 

[jslater14]

How did the raccoon gain entrance into your coop? Is the coop inside your run, or attached to the run? When you say your husband secured the run as best as he could, what material is your run made of? (For example, chicken wire, welded wire, hardware cloth; etc) Does the run have any protection to prevent digging predators from gaining entrance? (Raccoons will also dig.) Can you post a photo of your coop? What did you tape the slide latch down with? If not extremely secure, a raccoon can easily remove tape and then slide the latch with their nimble hands to gain entrance. If you can remove the tape with your hands/fingers, then a raccoon likely can too. I know i asked a lot of questions, but I once read a quote on the Predators forum that I took to heart. "Never underestimate the tenacity of a hungry animal that wants to eat a chicken for dinner." It is necessary to be even more tenacious if we are to succeed in keeping our poultry safe.

Here’s a pic for reference. This was a year and a half ago when we moved them to the coop, so it’s changed some. It now has a wood roof. There is also boarding around the bottom of the shed and fencing because something kept getting in, just not killing any chickens (any ideas on that?

The raccoon pushed through the wire on the bottom, and I’m assuming that was the entry point and it looked like it pried back the wire behind the shed and left. Their chicken wire is now boarded down, stapled. It seems unlikely to get in.

I don’t think digging is an option. The ground is hard as a rock.