- Apr 14, 2013
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Hello, all.
I'm pretty sure one of my chickens is depressed and I'm not sure what to do about it. I've read some other posts similar to this, but none that fit closely enough to my chicken's situation for me to be able to use its advice.
I had two adult female chickens and three baby female chickens, but this Monday past (6 days ago) an animal got into the coop at night and killed one of my adult chickens, Sumia. Now my other chicken, Lúthien, just isn't acting like she used to. In the mornings I'll go out and find her huddled in the back of the coop with her face facing the wall. And when she finally does come out (like mid morning) she never goes too far from the coop. For the first two days or so she kept looking around the yard for Sumia, but now she just sits by the coop or in the yard. Sometimes she'll also sit on the porch near the door and make noises until someone comes outside. I think she's lonely and wants attention, but nothing we do seems to help any.
As for our three baby chicks, they're kept in a pen near the adult's coop during the afternoons but are otherwise still kept inside. When Sumia was alive, she and Lúthien basically ignored the babies. Occasionally they would go over together and look at the babies and make angry noises at them. But now that Sumia's dead, Lúthien stalks around the pen and looks at them. Even in the morning before the chicks are put out, she's out there right by the pen pacing around it.
The babies are too small to be outside all the time and I'm still afraid how Lúthien will act around them. I want to let them get a little closer because I know she's lonely, but at the same time I'm worried she might hurt the chicks. Would it be bad for Lúthien or the other chicks if we got another adult chicken? The chicks aren't staying going to be outside of their pen until the end of May, and Lúthien just seems so lonely.
I'm pretty sure one of my chickens is depressed and I'm not sure what to do about it. I've read some other posts similar to this, but none that fit closely enough to my chicken's situation for me to be able to use its advice.
I had two adult female chickens and three baby female chickens, but this Monday past (6 days ago) an animal got into the coop at night and killed one of my adult chickens, Sumia. Now my other chicken, Lúthien, just isn't acting like she used to. In the mornings I'll go out and find her huddled in the back of the coop with her face facing the wall. And when she finally does come out (like mid morning) she never goes too far from the coop. For the first two days or so she kept looking around the yard for Sumia, but now she just sits by the coop or in the yard. Sometimes she'll also sit on the porch near the door and make noises until someone comes outside. I think she's lonely and wants attention, but nothing we do seems to help any.
As for our three baby chicks, they're kept in a pen near the adult's coop during the afternoons but are otherwise still kept inside. When Sumia was alive, she and Lúthien basically ignored the babies. Occasionally they would go over together and look at the babies and make angry noises at them. But now that Sumia's dead, Lúthien stalks around the pen and looks at them. Even in the morning before the chicks are put out, she's out there right by the pen pacing around it.
The babies are too small to be outside all the time and I'm still afraid how Lúthien will act around them. I want to let them get a little closer because I know she's lonely, but at the same time I'm worried she might hurt the chicks. Would it be bad for Lúthien or the other chicks if we got another adult chicken? The chicks aren't staying going to be outside of their pen until the end of May, and Lúthien just seems so lonely.
