Can chickens have post-traumatic stress?

[cristina]

And how does that affect them moving forward?

Two nights ago, 1 hen (out of 5), got killed INSIDE the coop and then the predator scampered off without any more damage (my husband heard noise and ran down to coop to scare him away). The girldsliterally had to step over their dead, decapitated "sister" to get out of the coop that morning. Until I install electric fencing (securing the run and coop with heavy gauge wire dug down deep isn't enough of a deterrrent for our local relentless predators -coon, fox, weasel), I'm going to let them sleep in the shed.
However yesterday I went down to coop at 8pm (still light out), and found another dead chicken INSIDE the run, all the others were unscathed. I'm stumped. Anyway, this AM when I went to let them out of the shed, they didn't move and rush out (like they usually do) for about 5 solid minutes, after I spoke sweetly to them and lured them with food. They just sat there, wide-eyed. Are they traumatized? They are only a couple weeks away from egg production age...will this be affected? Just curious... still plan on doing my best to protect these girls, but in the meantime, I'm curious to know to what extent chickens are affected by the mauling of their fellow birds.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

They can be stressed yes, but post traumatic stress disorder is a term applied to humans originally for those wounded in combat (mentally and or physically) and has spread to apply to other situations.

You should figure out how the predator is continuing to get in - stress can affect the egg laying and it can cause other issues as well.

 

[Trish1974]

My neighbor's rooster was killed by a bald eagle a couple year's ago. He said it took him two weeks to round up the hens - they would not go in their coop (although the attack happened on my property, far from their coop), would run around squalling, not laying or laying elsewhere. After he was able to capture them all he kept them in their coop for 3 weeks and after he released them they were back to normal. So I'd say your hens are just temporarily traumatized and will eventually be fine.

I think a direct trauma to a bird can have lasting effects, believe it or not. Last spring I saved a hen from a fox. The fox had her by her back in front of her tail and ran a good 50/60 yards with her before I shot at him which caused him to drop her. Just last month, a good year after the incident, a fox ran through the yard one morning. I was fortunate to see this in the security camera that is on the run. My rooster must have sounded an alarm, I saw all hens run to the coop (except the fox attack victim) as my rooster ran towards the fence at the fox. The hen that had been attacked went bat-**** crazy and started running all over the run, literally bouncing off the fence! I don't know how she didn't hurt herself. I can't imagine the flashbacks she must have been having!