Chicken attacked

[ltlbg731]

Hi all,
Yesterday we left home and left our chickens out free ranging. When we returned home our White Leghorn was in corner of the yard injured and my Brown Leghorn is missing and my RIR is perfectly fine. I'm not sure what they were attacked by. My leghorn has no tail feathers left and is missing some other feathers. She has quite a few wounds as well. We picked her up and put her in the coop by herself with some water and food. She laid there and did not move until my husband went out there to check on her and noticed she had laid an egg and pooped. When he went to get the egg she got up took a step and laid back down. I'm really afraid for her. So far my other hen has not returned. We searched and searched the neighborhood with no luck. I'm not sure if she was taken by something or flew away for safety. There are no feathers or anything of hers around. My chickens are 8 months old and are so fun. I hope my Leghorn makes it. What should I do.

 

[ten chicks]

Hi all,
Yesterday we left home and left our chickens out free ranging. When we returned home our White Leghorn was in corner of the yard injured and my Brown Leghorn is missing and my RIR is perfectly fine. I'm not sure what they were attacked by. My leghorn has no tail feathers left and is missing some other feathers. She has quite a few wounds as well. We picked her up and put her in the coop by herself with some water and food. She laid there and did not move until my husband went out there to check on her and noticed she had laid an egg and pooped. When he went to get the egg she got up took a step and laid back down. I'm really afraid for her. So far my other hen has not returned. We searched and searched the neighborhood with no luck. I'm not sure if she was taken by something or flew away for safety. There are no feathers or anything of hers around. My chickens are 8 months old and are so fun. I hope my Leghorn makes it. What should I do.

Bring her inside and monitor her condition,check her over very carefully for wounds,lift up feathers,look under wings/around vent area,etc. Give her electrolytes for shock,keep her warm(when ill/injured chickens cannot regulate their body temp) Wash wounds with a diluted peroxide solution,apply an antibiotic ointment(nothing ending in "caine/cane",toxic to chickens). Make sure she is eating/drinking,very important for her to drink as chickens can become dehydrated very fast. If you feel she is in pain,you can purchase metacam from a vet or give her a baby aspirin(81mg)or reg(325mg)aspirin,dose is 25mg per lb of body weight,crush and sprinkle over feed,place in water or give orally to her.

 

[VABeachBRs]

Sorry . . . I am new here -- where do you live? (It may say on your profile but I am uncertain )

I had the same issue and it was not until I replayed my surveillance camera until I figured out how they were "disappearing." No evidence, NOTHING! We have a "bird predator" problem from above.

Luckily, our main issue is with turkey/chicken/hawks/vultures (everyone has a different name for them). I spent the night looking at Virginia laws for legal responses to the problem. Which state do you reside and how did the deceased chicken expire? If the eyes were poked out or the head was missing then you have the same issue we have. The ones who just "disappear" were picked up and carried off by a red-tail hawk (protected here in Virginia).

 

[ltlbg731]

Well I have bad news. My hen passed sometime in the night. I just checked on her and she is no longer alive. I'm very sad. I never realized I would become so attached to these chickens and would cry over there death. I definitely learned from this experience and will do something different with my new chickens I will be getting.

 

[ltlbg731]

I have 1 chicken left that is fine and healthy. My concern now us the fact that my 3 chickens where raised together so she's always been with another one. I know fif sure I will be getting 2 new chicks but I'm wondering if I should get a full grown hen as well so she has somebody with her now or do I wait for the chicks to get big enough and leave my 1 chick by itself for the next couple of months. Also how do I introduce the new chicks in. Will my current hen not be happy with that. Please help

 

[VABeachBRs]

When we lost all of our brood but one hen we locked her in her coop for a couple of weeks. She was traumatized (or it seemed to me she was) by losing her girlfriends. She stayed in the coop where we fed her and would "communicate" with her through the walls. In the meantime, we purchased more BRs from a breeder and put them in a brooder. As they became older we moved them to their own coop outside and moved "Lady's" small coop up next to the new brood. As time went by, we would let Lady out first to range, and she would walk over when we let the new chicks out. She was the first to come out, and the last to go in. She developed her "pecking order" by letting the new chicks know her place on top of the flock.

Several months later -- this trauma has truly been a blessing! Lady has taught the brood everything! How to be cautious and stay within the coop. To go in at night, to come out in the morning. She will lead them everywhere, and they follow her. She has warmed them up to the "human family," and remains the queen of the flock.

I am not certain this same arrangement would have happened had we purchased an older hen like we were thinking. The age difference worked to our advantage since she received the special treatment after losing her companions, and was able to become a mentor to the new brood. They have integrated into one flock, but Lady definitely stays on top of the pecking order. She also keeps her know-how of the dangers that lie outside the fence since she experienced it herself.

I am interested to hear if anyone was able to put two lone hens together successfully...

 

[ten chicks]

I have 1 chicken left that is fine and healthy. My concern now us the fact that my 3 chickens where raised together so she's always been with another one. I know fif sure I will be getting 2 new chicks but I'm wondering if I should get a full grown hen as well so she has somebody with her now or do I wait for the chicks to get big enough and leave my 1 chick by itself for the next couple of months. Also how do I introduce the new chicks in. Will my current hen not be happy with that. Please help

If it were me,i would bring her inside until you decide what you are going to do. I have chickens in my house,silkies and two orpingtons,the weather where i am is extremely cold(current - 37 with wind chill - 44),they are in a mudroom off my kitchen.

Chickens do get lonely,watch your girl for signs of depression as they sometimes will become depressed if a flock mate dies.

If you decide on a older hen,remember the quarantine rule,quarantine for at least a month,the longer the better.