Depressed hens. How can I help them?

[GracePoultry]

My rooster passed away about A month ago. My hens were very scared for a few days but I was able to get them to feel safe around me again and eat out of my hand. They are perfectly healthy they just seem... sad. I'm not really sure how to explain it but I think they miss him a lot. My hens do all the normal chicken stuff, but they're quieter now. they aren't making their normal happy sounds whenever they get treats or dustbathe. I wouldn't be that worried but It's been over a month now

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Why did the rooster die? Are they showing anything else that might be a symptom of a possible illness? Have you added any new birds within the past couple months? How long was the rooster with this flock?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

If they are otherwise acting healthy and normal I think what you might not be hearing anymore is the hens communication with the rooster. Hens and roosters will communicate back and forth.

 

[fluffycrow]

If you are sure they are otherwise healthy, like mentioned above, then I'd come to the same conclusion as you.

Of course the hens can miss their longtime parter, just as much as roosters miss their favourite hens when/if they pass. I've personally seen both. I would give it a little more time, and if you are in a position to do so, think about introducing a new male to the group.

The hens might not like him as much as they did the previous guy, but in my experience, they do find comfort in having another male around

 

[GracePoultry]

Died due to a predator attack. Very proud of him as he went down protecting my flock. He has been with my flock for 4 years.
@Lacy Duckwing

 

[chooki]

Have you thought about getting them another rooster?

It's easy to get a rooster, although it might be a bit harder to get a good rooster for the flock.

 

[WingItRanch]

Died due to a predator attack. Very proud of him as he went down protecting my flock. He has been with my flock for 4 years.
@Lacy Duckwing

Honestly, they're probably quieter because of the stress of the predator attack.

I bet they don't miss the rooster at all- that's more of a human feeling. They may adjust just fine without another rooster. Adding another one may prove more stressful than helpful and unless you're planning on breeding, they may be happier without a rooster mating them all the time.

Just providing a different perspective!

I'm sorry for your loss. I truly believe it's much harder on the human. Chickens are simple, sweet creatures. As long as they have each other, they'll be fine.

 

[fluffycrow]

Honestly, they're probably quieter because of the stress of the predator attack.

I bet they don't miss the rooster at all- that's more of a human feeling. They may adjust just fine without another rooster. Adding another one may prove more stressful than helpful and unless you're planning on breeding, they may be happier without a rooster mating them all the time.

Just providing a different perspective!

I'm sorry for your loss. I truly believe it's much harder on the human. Chickens are simple, sweet creatures. As long as they have each other, they'll be fine.

I'm not one to humour the anthropomorphisation of animals, but one can only do so much to try and explain why their chickens are behaving the way they do through logic and lack of "human" emotion, before observing their chickens and seeing what they are displaying throught their behaviour.

Every time they have lost their chosen male (emphasis on the male bring the chosen by the hens male, not just one they tolerate) a shift in their behaviour is clearly visible. This has happened quite a few times here, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just mention two separate events that have led me to the aforementioned conclusion.

About 2, 1 and a half years ago, I had two bantam pullets and one bantam cockerel. One of the pullets loved that cockerel, she was way closer to him than the other pullet. Apart from that cockerel, she would merely tolerate the presence of other birds. One day, the cockerel suddenly passed, most likely something heart-related. Said pullet was quite frantic for a few weeks, looking slightly "lost". Not really another way to put it. To this day, she hasn't formed any close relations with any other bird, she has accepted other males, but never had the same relationship.

The second event happened earlier this September. There was a fox attack, while two tribes/groups were free ranging. Both tribes lost one member each. The bantam tribe lost their head rooster. The LF tribe lost a low-ranking junior hen. In the case of the bantam tribe, the hens have yet to go back in lay (a short period of no eggs would be expected after a traumatic event). On the other hand, the LF tribe is currently producing a few eggs a week, and has been almost immediately after the attack. Their head rooster is still with them. Both tribes experienced the same traumatic event. The only difference is which bird they lost.

Here is an article written by a very experienced and helpful member of the forum. Article 'Do Poultry Mourn Over The Loss Of A Flock Mate?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/do-poultry-mourn-over-the-loss-of-a-flock-mate.67429/ .

Sure, not everything with chickens stems from emotion, but in my humble opinion, we shouldn't be so quick to disregard it completely, especially when it has something to do with such a key component to group/tribe/flock life, as in the case of the head rooster and senior hens

 

[WingItRanch]

I'm not one to humour the anthropomorphisation of animals, but one can only do so much to try and explain why their chickens are behaving the way they do through logic and lack of "human" emotion, before observing their chickens and seeing what they are displaying throught their behaviour.

Every time they have lost their chosen male (emphasis on the male bring the chosen by the hens male, not just one they tolerate) a shift in their behaviour is clearly visible. This has happened quite a few times here, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just mention two separate events that have led me to the aforementioned conclusion.

About 2, 1 and a half years ago, I had two bantam pullets and one bantam cockerel. One of the pullets loved that cockerel, she was way closer to him than the other pullet. Apart from that cockerel, she would merely tolerate the presence of other birds. One day, the cockerel suddenly passed, most likely something heart-related. Said pullet was quite frantic for a few weeks, looking slightly "lost". Not really another way to put it. To this day, she hasn't formed any close relations with any other bird, she has accepted other males, but never had the same relationship.

The second event happened earlier this September. There was a fox attack, while two tribes/groups were free ranging. Both tribes lost one member each. The bantam tribe lost their head rooster. The LF tribe lost a low-ranking junior hen. In the case of the bantam tribe, the hens have yet to go back in lay (a short period of no eggs would be expected after a traumatic event). On the other hand, the LF tribe is currently producing a few eggs a week, and has been almost immediately after the attack. Their head rooster is still with them. Both tribes experienced the same traumatic event. The only difference is which bird they lost.

Here is an article written by a very experienced and helpful member of the forum. Article 'Do Poultry Mourn Over The Loss Of A Flock Mate?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/do-poultry-mourn-over-the-loss-of-a-flock-mate.67429/ .

Sure, not everything with chickens stems from emotion, but in my humble opinion, we shouldn't be so quick to disregard it completely, especially when it has something to do with such a key component to group/tribe/flock life, as in the case of the head rooster and senior hens

This is a great post. Good examples to back up your thoughts. I can admit when I'm wrong. I know some birds in the wild mate for life so it's not out of the question that chickens form strong bonds.

I have taken away a cockerel from a group that grew up together and they genuinely seemed much happier and more relaxed afterwards BUT this guy was a jerk and they were still young so obviously my experience is different than yours.

 

[GracePoultry]

I'm not one to humour the anthropomorphisation of animals, but one can only do so much to try and explain why their chickens are behaving the way they do through logic and lack of "human" emotion, before observing their chickens and seeing what they are displaying throught their behaviour.

Every time they have lost their chosen male (emphasis on the male bring the chosen by the hens male, not just one they tolerate) a shift in their behaviour is clearly visible. This has happened quite a few times here, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just mention two separate events that have led me to the aforementioned conclusion.

About 2, 1 and a half years ago, I had two bantam pullets and one bantam cockerel. One of the pullets loved that cockerel, she was way closer to him than the other pullet. Apart from that cockerel, she would merely tolerate the presence of other birds. One day, the cockerel suddenly passed, most likely something heart-related. Said pullet was quite frantic for a few weeks, looking slightly "lost". Not really another way to put it. To this day, she hasn't formed any close relations with any other bird, she has accepted other males, but never had the same relationship.

The second event happened earlier this September. There was a fox attack, while two tribes/groups were free ranging. Both tribes lost one member each. The bantam tribe lost their head rooster. The LF tribe lost a low-ranking junior hen. In the case of the bantam tribe, the hens have yet to go back in lay (a short period of no eggs would be expected after a traumatic event). On the other hand, the LF tribe is currently producing a few eggs a week, and has been almost immediately after the attack. Their head rooster is still with them. Both tribes experienced the same traumatic event. The only difference is which bird they lost.

Here is an article written by a very experienced and helpful member of the forum. Article 'Do Poultry Mourn Over The Loss Of A Flock Mate?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/do-poultry-mourn-over-the-loss-of-a-flock-mate.67429/ .

Sure, not everything with chickens stems from emotion, but in my humble opinion, we shouldn't be so quick to disregard it completely, especially when it has something to do with such a key component to group/tribe/flock life, as in the case of the head rooster and senior hens

Thank you for this reply. My hens definitely got annoyed at my rooster but I know they liked being around him and they would fallow him everywhere he went.
I showed him at a county fair last year and I thought my hens weren't being as active as they normally were, so I thought maybe they were sick, but at the end of the week when I brought my rooster back home they went back to normal.