Ground predator? Hubbby saw a rat the size of a kitten.

[CabritaChicks]

Not sure where this belongs in the forum, but here goes. After multiple dog attacks, I’m down to two adult hens — one leghorn mix and one junglefowl. Ever since the last hurricane (Melissa), the junglefowl has decided she’s too feral for the coop and is now laying eggs somewhere deep in the jungle. Only she and whatever spirits live out there know where. But still shows up every morning to beg for food, and recently started bowing for me after I scolded her.

My leghorn, however, is a sweetheart and has always been reliable about sleeping inside the coop… until the last couple of nights. Now she’s roosting in a tree, crying, right next to the coop.

Could this mean there’s a ground predator lurking?
Im thinking a rat, and fear of sleeping alone. Strength in numbers situation.

I bought an herbal mix called “Pest Be Gone” (basically citrus notes that supposedly repel mice).

Question 1: Does this stuff actually work?


Question 2: Once the chicklets (I have four, about 7.5 weeks old) are integrated into the coop, do you think she’ll go back to sleeping inside with them? I really don’t want her teaching the babies that trees are acceptable real estate.

Question 3: Do you think she just doesnt feel safe alone in the coop?

Advise please.
Notes: they free range during the day. Used to sleep in the coop at night.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Do they hang out together during the day? My random tree sleepers haven’t convinced the rest of the flock to join them…much to my chagrin…but they do all generally stick together during the day. BUT my situation is reversed because I had coop-trained pullets then got a tree-sleeping rooster. Your pullets might very well follow the older hens’ examples.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Sorry it posted before I could finish

They don’t generally like to sleep alone. Even my tree rooster has decided to sleep on a box near the coop or sometimes in the run. (He has never slept in a coop in his life so I don’t think it’s occurred to him to enter the actual coop). So she might not feel safe because she is alone and you very well could have a predator. I have had some serious rat problems in the past though and it never kept my chickens out of the coop. I would suspect something else.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Sorry it posted before I could finish

They don’t generally like to sleep alone. Even my tree rooster has decided to sleep on a box near the coop or sometimes in the run. (He has never slept in a coop in his life so I don’t think it’s occurred to him to enter the actual coop). So she might not feel safe because she is alone and you very well could have a predator. I have had some serious rat problems in the past though and it never kept my chickens out of the coop. I would suspect something else.

Thank you so much for your reply!

My junglefowl and leghorn are together all day — absolutely inseparable. My husband calls them “Bonnie and Clyde,” or on the days they trip him while he’s carrying things (feathers underfoot and all), “Dumb and Dingus.”

They were raised side-by-side from the same hatch last Easter. Leghorn has always been skittish around other animals (though perfectly confident with humans). So maybe the rat scared her enough that she didn’t want to sleep alone?

The funny thing is, she adores her nest boxes, and if the coop door is shut, she’ll stand there crying until someone lets her in to make her daily “deposit.”

Another factor is yesterday was the chicklets first day 'visiting the coop'... I locked her out to let the chicklets explore for a couple hours. She sat outside the coop and cried the entire time. I think she really likes them- but the chicklets are still getting used to adult hens- and my junglefowl is foul to them.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I wonder if she is torn between her love for the coop and her love for her friend? I imagine once the little ones are out full time she will want to be where they are and she will be an asset—especially when it comes to the rooster. The jungle fowl might also be helpful in raising him to be a gentleman.

Can you set up a camera at night to see if you can see anything in the coop that doesn’t belong? Chickens might avoid a coop because of parasites as well or even if they find it too hot.

 

[CabritaChicks]

I wonder if she is torn between her love for the coop and her love for her friend? I imagine once the little ones are out full time she will want to be where they are and she will be an asset—especially when it comes to the rooster. The jungle fowl might also be helpful in raising him to be a gentleman.

Can you set up a camera at night to see if you can see anything in the coop that doesn’t belong? Chickens might avoid a coop because of parasites as well or even if they find it too hot.

You are prolly right!

Out here, the Wi-Fi just doesn’t reach the coop — we’ve tried everything. Even brought in professionals, and nope… still dead zone territory.

The coop is open-air with fans, so heat isn’t an issue likely (we check the temps). We do have a trail cam we originally bought to catch the a**hat dog, so I’ll see if my husband can set it up again. He definitely saw a rat last night — scared the bejesus out of him. Ever heard a grown man scream? Yep. That is when he saw her crying in a tree.

My husband also wants the chicklets moved out sooner rather than later. And honestly, I noticed my leghorn has lost quite a bit of weight without the rest of the flock. If I lock her in the coop/run with the chicklets, I think she’ll eat more just from the social pressure as the short time she spent with them- they ate like gang-busters.

Her droppings are normal, and she’s clear of parasites to my knowledge — no mites, lice, or internal issues to date. And with only one bird having “sleepovers,” the coop is ridiculously easy to clean. So I would likely be able to spot something. But I could always give her a once-over and some spray- she loves the attention- bizarrely so.

You’re probably right… she might not know her place in the pecking order anymore. Her original buddies were killed, then she only had Gypsy Chick left, and Gypsy ditched her for a bush. No wonder she wants back in the house — she’s lonely, poor thing.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Ever heard a grown man scream? Yep.

I can empathize completely

Her original buddies were killed

If I remember right this was when they were all out free-ranging right? It had nothing to do with the coop?

 

[CabritaChicks]

If I remember right this was when they were all out free-ranging right? It had nothing to do with the coop?

Yes, the group was free range (two sets/ages but lived together and free range was their favorite thing).

Started with 3 chicks- RIR, hatched 4 more (mixed bag and rescue eggs). One chicken stolen and sold. Another couple killed by hunting dogs on a illegal bridge to reach our land to intimidate us. Another couple chickens from a new feral dog who used the bridge to reach the property.

Since there is no more bridge (authorities told them to take it down asap!), and the feral dog is gone (heaven/hell), and we do have traps set up now, plus barbed wire, plus plus....yeppers.

But nothing to do with the coop-
But a rat- might be spooky for her- especially if she is sleeping alone.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

But nothing to do with the coop-
But a rat- might be spooky for her- especially if she is sleeping alone.

If it is really big maybe. I found a huge dead rat in my chicken run one day. He had his arms up like he was trying to surrender. The chickens, apparently, did not accept.

 

[CabritaChicks]

If it is really big maybe. I found a huge dead rat in my chicken run one day. He had his arms up like he was trying to surrender. The chickens, apparently, did not accept.

I asked him, “Rat or mongoose?”

He said, “I don’t know — it was dark and I nearly **** myself as it climbed up through the scaffold.”
Fair enough. (not a mongoose behaviour here- that is more like a rat- and we have big rats here).

When I went down there this morning, I didn’t see any droppings that would point to a mongoose, nor any traces. We generally don’t get them on this side of the island anyway. Stranger things have happened.