Coyotes

[Imthemama]

Hi! New here. I had 6 chickens I raised from hatchlings. Coyotes broke through my coop and killed all but 1 chicken. She is about 4 months old. I have babies in the house but for this one I am wondering if I need to get her a friend?! She seems lonely. We have reinforced the coop and they won't get in again but I want to make sure the last one is ok. Suggestions?

 

[melissamc]

I would definitely get her a friend if the babies are too young for her to interact with. Of course you will want to quarantine any new birds before putting them in the flock.

I'm sorry to hear about the coyotes killing your flock

 

[CrazyCochin]

Coyotes broke through my coop and killed all but 1 chicken. She is about 4 months old. I have babies in the house but for this one I am wondering if I need to get her a friend?! She seems lonely. We have reinforced the coop and they won't get in again but I want to make sure the last one is ok. Suggestions?

I am so sorry to hear that, we have 40+ hens, and they all love to stick together, especially our three bantams, they are stuck like glue! But yes, I think chickens are happier with a friend!
What is she?

 

[CrazyCochin]

I would definitely get her a friend if the babies are too young for her to interact with. Of course you will want to quarantine any new birds before putting them in the flock.

I'm sorry to hear about the coyotes killing your flock

Yes, definitely quarantine, we did that when we rescued a hen, we kept her separate, and she was fine, it's just a safety precaution.

 

[Cinnamon11]

I’m sorry about the birds the coyote killed

 

[3KillerBs]

Coyotes are clever and persistent. You might want to consider electric fence.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Considering the quarantine time of a new adult addition and how long it may take for them to get used to each other, I think she will be fine without a friend until your youngins are old enough to move to the coop.

 

[aart]

Hi! New here. I had 6 chickens I raised from hatchlings. Coyotes broke through my coop and killed all but 1 chicken. She is about 4 months old. I have babies in the house but for this one I am wondering if I need to get her a friend?! She seems lonely. We have reinforced the coop and they won't get in again but I want to make sure the last one is ok. Suggestions?

How old are the littles?
How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help.

I like to brood the chicks in the coop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @Imthemama
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Imthemama]

Coyotes are clever and persistent. You might want to consider electric fence.

We actually reinforced the coop with some super heavy duty fencing. They won't get through that!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

We actually reinforced the coop with some super heavy duty fencing. They won't get through that!

I am speaking from experience when I say an electric fence is still worth it and you can get the electric netting and a box for less than $100.


How old are the chicks? They will be old enough to integrate with your hen by six weeks. I’ve put five six week old chicks in with my flock of fourteen without issues. I kept the chicks in a small coop and run that was inside the main coop and run so the big chickens can get used to them. They were in there from four weeks to six weeks of age and I put them with the big birds at six weeks. This would be easier than finding and quarantining a new hen.