HELP EMERGENCY CRITTER ATTACK (pretty descriptive)

[david182]

Apparently my guys decided to sleep in a new place in their coop last night right in a pile next to the wire . Although our coop is solid and critter proof apparently something climbed up and attacked from the outside through the wire
When I came out to check on them this morning I found one already gone ,her insides were out and there is nothing I can do for her BUT the question is I have 2 more that were attacked that don't want me to come near them , they are not moving much but don't seem to have much visible damage, my other 3 seem fine.... what should I do? What is the best move in this situation? Is there really anything you can do for them? This just breaks my heart... You build a critter proof coop then they decide not to sleep in the "safe" spot one time and get mauled...

 

[Lollipop]

Apparently my guys decided to sleep in a new place in their coop last night right in a pile next to the wire . Although our coop is solid and critter proof apparently something climbed up and attacked from the outside through the wire
When I came out to check on them this morning I found one already gone ,her insides were out and there is nothing I can do for her BUT the question is I have 2 more that were attacked that don't want me to come near them , they are not moving much but don't seem to have much visible damage, my other 3 seem fine.... what should I do? What is the best move in this situation? Is there really anything you can do for them? This just breaks my heart... You build a critter proof coop then they decide not to sleep in the "safe" spot one time and get mauled...

Pretty common story, David. You need to catch the two that are afraid and make certain of any injuries. You can wait til tonight when they will be easier to catch in the dark. They must be young, or they wouldn't be sleeping in a pile, so the main area of concern is their backs. Their lungs are close to their backs, so you should listen to their breathing to be sure their are no bubbles or wheezing, which would indicate a punctured lung and be cause for culling. If all is well there, treat any wounds with a good antibiotic(without painkiller) and then all ya gotta watch for is cannibalism and blow flies. If none of that, they should recover in a few days. You should remedy the predators access immediately as they will return. Good luck..........Pop

 

[david182]

They are about 3 months old... only been outside for 2 weeks ... they are fully feathered and LOVE their outside world though ... Thanks Pop!

 

[david182]

Just checked them over, My little RIR has no visible injuries and is drinking but is extremely unsteady on her feet and wants to sit constantly, we are pretty sure she is a hen. My barred rock rooster has a chunk missing from his comb but other than that I see no visible injuries but he does not try to walk or drink, I fear he is the most injured I put them back in their breeder box with bedding and water/food with the top on to keep the other chickens from picking on them and plan to keep a close watch on them today... don't know what else to do
When hubby returns from work he will be reworking the coop and removing the spot they have choosen to sleep so that they can no longer sleep there I am sure our night time visitor shall return for more now that he/she has found a food source...

 

[rikithemonk]

Pops right,

Now the predator knows that your coop is a place it can get a meal, it will without question add your coop on its scavenging rounds.

1) I would buy a live trap and a bag of marshmallows today, so you can catch it when it comes back tonight. If you do catch it, you have to kill it. Releasing it miles away only trains it to avoid traps and makes it impossible for anyone else to trap it. Causing someone else to loose all their chickens.

2) You need to catch and check out the wounded chickens. You need to prevent infections and look for broken bones.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Riki

 

[david182]

Thanks guys for all the advice ~ Another question ... My roosters eyes have now swollen shut so he can't see to do anything ... SUPER UPSET mommy I am... how should I handle this ... is there anything I can do to help him? This just stinks...

My hubby will handle the coop design flaw and predator issue tonight but for now I am just worried about the chickens... would pictures of the injury help?

 

[david182]

Anyone out there have any advice? Still no answers on what to do for my roo~ his eyes are swollen shut , he seems to be having no difficulty breathing but he refuses to try to drink or eat ... I figure he put up a good fight against whatever predator attacked last night, but he took a nasty head injury because of it~ what should I do for him?

 

[jessica1s]

Sorry to hear of the attack. This happened to me last year. Raccoons attacked my coop with young silkies. The raccoons took the chicks right threw the fencing. They will attack till the coop is empty or re enforced. I had to fill every small gap and put netting with small squares over the fencing I already had...oh and start a new flock Makes it a little harder to see though so I can't watch them like I used to but they are safe now.

 

[david182]

Hubby will be reinforcing tonight... the biggest issue really wasnt coop design it was their choice of sleeping spot... they chose to sleep right next to the fencing last night... babies didn't know better ... So guess in the future I will MAKE SURE they are locked into the inner coop before I turn in at night, they had been going in on their own, last night it was warm and I guess they decided to sleep outside, I noticed them piled up outside and even mentioned to the hubby it was cute ... guess I should have thought better of that but I never thought about something clawing them through the fencing... We will be taking down the roost they slept on and doing some rearranging then reinforcing ... just for our peace of mind... I am just hoping I am doing everything I can for my two that are injured... The other three non injured in my flock left even seem "out of sorts" today... like their world has shifted... this is so sad... Silly how a little thing like our chickens can upset our applecart... If you had told me 6 weeks ago I would take this so seriously I would have told you that you were crazy ... Now listen to me ramble...