Chicken Attacked by Mountain Lion

[KansasChickensDucks]

Yeah the game and fish here was releasing them to help with deer and trying to keep it secret. Kept denying it until enough people started showing game camera pictures and videos of them. Even now they finally admitted they are out there but claims they are not breeding. Again enough photos of lions with cubs to prove they are lying yet again and they are trying to backtrack.

I'd get a cheap game cam and set it up for pictures. Sounds like they might be up to something they don't want public. Get pictures and start posting them all over their facebook page and it will make them come clean and do something. What we had to do here.

We have a camera up now after we saw it peering into our duck pen. But the other night this Happened behind our big hay stack so the camera didn’t pick it up.

 

[KansasChickensDucks]

I had a young chick about 4-6 weeks old attacked by a hawk last fall. I saw the hawk in the run and ran to it as it flew off without a chick. I was counting the chicks and was missing one, as I saw it lying there looking like it was dead. I picked her up, she was alive. I checked for injuries, she had nothing visible to me. I figured the hawk chased her and she collapsed out of fear. I put her down and she walked a few feet and then just stopped and stood there. I assumed she was traumatized. For the next five days she wouldn’t eat or drink. I went and bought her a vitamin supplement that had a dropper. I begin feeding her several times a day with water and vitamins. She only stood still. No participation in any chick activity with the others. Finally on the fifth day she began to eat very little, the next day preening. She survived but I think she may have had some head trauma or eardrum. She has some slight issues, I don’t want to bore you with more details. She is a great egg layer

This is kind of what our hen is doing. She has a dazed look in her eyes. She did manage to have a little water/food yesterday but this morning, she is looking at the ground walking around. It’s like she wants to scratch for food but doesn’t know how. We added electrolytes to her water yesterday. We may have to give her water via dropper today. It’s hot. I don’t want the dehydrating. It’s very traumatizing I’m sure for both of our birds. Thanks for your post...this will make my daughter feel better.

 

[KansasChickensDucks]

Just a consideration: Cat teeth are filthy so you might have to get a broad spectrum antibiotic for your poor girl. Good luck!

Yes, thank you!! We have been cleaning her wounds with topical but will keep a close eye on it for sure.

 

[aart]

This is kind of what our hen is doing. She has a dazed look in her eyes. She did manage to have a little water/food yesterday but this morning, she is looking at the ground walking around. It’s like she wants to scratch for food but doesn’t know how. We added electrolytes to her water yesterday. We may have to give her water via dropper today. It’s hot. I don’t want the dehydrating. It’s very traumatizing I’m sure for both of our birds. Thanks for your post...this will make my daughter feel better.

Make sure she has plain water available too.
Be very careful using a dropper or syringe,
here's good tips how to do it safely:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
I use a qtip soaked with the liquid and held against side of beak so it wicks into the mouth.
Stroke under beak and on front of neck to stimulate swallowing.

 

[NatJ]

I did call them and they didn’t seem to interested. They said if I don’t have a photo then it’s not much they will do. Even if we do have proof they will just document it.

Did you ask them whether you're allowed to shoot it, if it does happen to be a mountain lion?

Oh, I just found the answer to that, thanks to google.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Wildlife-Habitats/Wildlife-Sightings
"Kansas does not have a hunting season for mountain lions, and they may not be killed without reason. Landowners are permitted to destroy wildlife, including mountain lions, found in or near buildings on their premises or when destroying property. However, reasonable efforts must be made to alleviate the problem before resorting to killing the animal."

It also says, "mountain lions are only occasionally confirmed in Kansas." So that means sometimes they ARE there.

We can defend ourselves and property so guess I’ll have to carry with me next time.

Definitely sounds like the best solution. I hope you get a resolution soon, whether by killing it or having it move away on its own!

 

[KansasChickensDucks]

Make sure she has plain water available too.
Be very careful using a dropper or syringe,
here's good tips how to do it safely:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
I use a qtip soaked with the liquid and held against side of beak so it wicks into the mouth.
Stroke under beak and on front of neck to stimulate swallowing.

good idea! Definitely don’t want her aspirating leading to pneumonia. She has regular water too. Thanks for the tips! Appreciate it

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Been around chickens a long time but gotta say this is the first I've heard of a cougar attacking them. Must be a really desperate lion to waste the energy on something that small. I'd look for it coming back. Might want to check the local laws on dispatching one. Often animals like that have different rules than more common nuisance animals. Your states wildlife management might even want to come out and remove it for you. Honestly I would give them a call and explain it's attacking your livestock. I'd almost bet they send somebody out with a large trap.

Little late to the party so this may have been resolved already, but don't get your hopes up. We tried this with a bobcat that took out 1w turkeys in a week (including one that lived under out 2nd story deck, 15 feet in the air) and basically all they said was that it was our fault for letting our birds free range and that we shouldn't worry because odds are they wouldn't take anything easier than a newborn lamb. I've carried lambs, they take a few weeks to get where my turkeys weighed and they were all rather safe in their nesting places. Hopefully yours is better though since it's a different states.

 

[KansasChickensDucks]

Little late to the party so this may have been resolved already, but don't get your hopes up. We tried this with a bobcat that took out 1w turkeys in a week (including one that lived under out 2nd story deck, 15 feet in the air) and basically all they said was that it was our fault for letting our birds free range and that we shouldn't worry because odds are they wouldn't take anything easier than a newborn lamb. I've carried lambs, they take a few weeks to get where my turkeys weighed and they were all rather safe in their nesting places. Hopefully yours is better though since it's a different states.

Nope!! They basically said we are enticing the wild animal by letting our birds free range, which is true..it is a wild animal. We don’t even let the birds out of our supervision . We are like guard dogs. We like for them to be able to forage but now I’m too afraid. Lol!! They have a huge fenced run but I know they enjoy getting out. Thanks for your input! Appreciate it.

 

[drinkoj]

If you don't talk about shooting something in self defense, no one else knows it happened. Just saying.

 

[KansasChickensDucks]

If you don't talk about shooting something in self defense, no one else knows it happened. Just saying.

True!