chicken detectives! Pls help figure out attack

[kefiren]

Hello! I need some chicken detectives

Not last night, but the night before we put our nine-week old chicks into the coop with our other hens. (We live near a swamp and Canadian Geese come up on the lawn)

Our chickens live in a coop with an enclosed run. We have rat issues, so there are tunnels of various sizes leading into the run that we just can't keep up with.

Saturday night good, Sunday all day good, Sunday night good. Monday morning first thing all good.

Then I went out mid morning Monday and YIKES. There were big dark Canadian Goose feathers in a line leading down to the swamp.
There were little white chick feathers outside the coop.
Two of my chicks sustained bloody injuries to the back of the neck. They are still alive and trying to recover. I've separated them and put the other chicks somewhere safer.. One of the injured chicks was lying in a corner of the run, and one was hiding in a nesting box.

Was it: 1. the hens, 2. large rats? 3. weasel/fisher cat

Another option, but I'm just not sure how it could have happened? is that my neighbor saw a coyote come through.

 

[nuthatched]

The chicks could have been pecked my the older girls.
I'd make a completely covered run, if you have the weasel tribe and wild fowl around.

 

[kefiren]

Thanks, do I have to keep the two injured girls away from one another? So far, I'm inclined to since they are scared and they seem to be cuddling.

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks, do I have to keep the two injured girls away from one another? So far, I'm inclined to since they are scared and they seem to be cuddling.

Just until scabs form, but I'd just monitor the situation for now.

 

[kefiren]

Hello, just wanted to update this thread and say that what I did was pull the younger chickens out from the coop and back into the brooder. They are 2.5 months and really need to be out. But here we are.

The two with the pecked heads are still separate from the others, and recovering.

I agree it was probably the older hens, but never had a trouble like this in 25 years. I am going to guess my older hens are stressed by all the wildlife action and are attacking anything that seems like they can beat up.

 

[kefiren]

This coop was our attempt at a Fort Knox, but it didn't last long. I think our major issue was not putting wire under the enclosed run. (so tunneling in). It is also amazing how birds and rodents have still found their way in at eaves, under doors, at the point of the roof. Anywhere there is a spare half inch.

 

[BastyPutt]

This coop was our attempt at a Fort Knox, but it didn't last long. I think our major issue was not putting wire under the enclosed run. (so tunneling in). It is also amazing how birds and rodents have still found their way in at eaves, under doors, at the point of the roof. Anywhere there is a spare half inch.

Honestly, it may not be a bad idea to concede and just make a feed station in the vicinity of the coop but not in it. Perhaps they would settle for the low hanging fruit opposed to the more difficult to get coop foods.

Admittedly I've never had a problem like this, but thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[Ronboy]

When it comes to basic chick detective work (who done it) a field cam is a great tool. This can positively rule out speculation and direct your most effective appropriate countermeasure. I recently had an incident where a young hen was taken, through a totally encloser run, floor, sides and roof. It was pulled through a 2" wide by 2" tall mesh. It had to be a strong predator that was capable of reaching through, claws, and strong enough to pull her through. Needless to say, all that was left were a few feathers. But alas, The field cam! It was a "Bobcat". I will try deterrent countermeasures before resorting to live traps and relocating. The Bobcat may have kittens near so deterrence will be my first try.

 

[kefiren]

Well, this week the two injured chicks went back to the coop after their "garage hospital stay". Their injuries were on the bad side, and they spent 3 weeks healing. The first day or so was scary but then they bounced back. I used a little bit of anti-bacterial ointment on the wounds.

Their heads are mostly all healed up, just a small scab left on one. They are doing fine.

At some point in thinking about this I decided it was the older hens who were the perpetrators. And so I let that notion help design my re-integration plan.

I have let out all the "steam" I could from the coop. I'm not taking away feed at night, I'm opening the door early in the morning to allow free range. This is in hopes that the young pullets will not be attacked by the old chickens. So far, so good.

Strangely enough, it seems that rat population might be slowing down a bit. I don't always know why things come and go, nature seems to balance itself sometimes.

I'm telling myself that I will lock things down if/when a predator takes a hen...OR (hopefully this is sooner) when the new and old hens seem to have integrated.